


Dissidia Kingdom Hearts

by Daxiefraxie



Category: Dissidia: Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: F/F, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Kingdom Hearts III
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-01
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2019-12-30 17:04:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 21,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18319571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daxiefraxie/pseuds/Daxiefraxie
Summary: There was someone in front of the dock, facing away from him. Riku stopped moving, staring at the figure. No, not someone, not exactly. Its skin was dark grey and washed-out, a hollow facsimile of a boy, in a dark jacket accented in sickly greens and yellows. With a barely a motion, Riku called his keyblade, Braveheart flickering into existence. The figure jolted to life, as if just now noticing his presence. It turned, the symbol on its chest now plain to see: a dark purple heart and sharp bat wings. A dim blur enveloped its hand, forming into a winged sword Riku knew only too well, a blade he had previously discarded.(Post-KH3 AU. Prepare for timeline shenanigans, combat and bittersweet angst.)





	1. Melody that Heralds Dawn, Episode 0

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An insomniac slips unwillingly into sleep.

Riku couldn't sleep. He stared at the ceiling, covers half on, watching the fan slowly turn above him. It was late, silent but for the crickets sounding through the open window, and the quiet felt utterly agonizing. Up until a mere week ago, Sora's snoring from the downstairs couch had drifted up the staircase to fill the house like a cacophonous serenade. Kairi was a much quieter sleeper – she was about twenty feet to his right – but he knew she was still there. With just the two of them, this home felt abandoned. Lifeless. Alone.

  
Sora wasn't gone for good, of course. Riku refused to believe that was the case. He had every intention of finding him, dragging him back home. Hell, he'd do it on his own if he had to – not that any of the Guardians of Light would allow that. Yen Sid's attention was turned towards distant worlds, forgotten or slumbering, to every corner of the realms of light and dark and everywhere in between. As soon as he found Sora, the Guardians would retrieve him. And even if the old sorcerer couldn't locate him, Ventus and Roxas were conducting their own searches, reaching out with hearts tuned to Sora's after the time they spent as a part of him. It was only a matter of time.

  
And yet Riku couldn't sleep. He didn't used to be this much of a night owl, but nowadays it was a coin flip if he could even get close to slumber before the outside crickets turned to chirping of early birds right before sunrise. Riku couldn't explain why, not even to himself, but something about the night made him anxious, restless, full of reckless compulsion. Scratch that, he knew exactly why. It was innate, a truth his heart had accepted beyond his own ability to articulate it.

  
He sighed, throwing the covers off and grabbing his jeans and jacket from the bedside chair. A post-midnight walk didn't always help, but it was better than simply waiting till morning. Riku was about to open the door, hand on the knob, when a sharp crackle echoed through the room from behind him. He froze, the smell of ozone filling his nose. It was as if a shadow passed over his perception, the record of his life skipped–

–a beat and Riku slammed his eyes shut as sunlight smacked full force into his face. When he finally opened them again, he was greeted with the sight of a blue ocean stretching for miles into the horizon. It wasn't an unfamiliar sight, but a fairly unwelcome one considering the circumstances.

  
"What the hell?" He felt a cold chill up his spine, and turned to confirm his suspicion: he was on the shore of the second island. In the middle of the day. Somehow, he had lost about seven hours and moved five miles across open ocean.

  
Riku started to walk back towards the dock, his mind racing. Could he have traveled through time or slumber without realizing, accidentally made use of the power of waking somehow? A quick glance to his clothing removed both of those possibilities. He was still dressed in the clothes Yen Sid had given him, the outfit he had worn during and since his final encounter with Xehanort. He wasn't acting as a Dream Eater, but that still didn't narrow–

  
There was someone in front of the dock, facing away from him. Riku stopped moving, staring at the figure. No, not someone, not exactly. Its skin was dark grey and washed-out, a hollow facsimile of a boy, in a dark jacket accented in sickly greens and yellows. With a barely a motion, Riku called his keyblade, Braveheart flickering into existence. The figure jolted to life, as if just now noticing his presence. It turned, the symbol on its chest now plain to see: a dark purple heart and sharp bat wings. A dim blur enveloped its hand, forming into a winged sword Riku knew only too well, a blade he had previously discarded.

  
"You're a Nightmare," he said, the figure cocking its head slightly, staring at him with its neon yellow eyes, "any reason in particular you look like me?"

  
The Nightmare raised its weapon silently, pointing it at Riku.

  
"Guess that's as good an answer as I'm going to get." He began to slowly circle his doppelgänger, Braveheart raised, ready to strike as soon as his foe moved.

  
The Nightmare Riku's feet smacked against the sand, rushing towards the keyblade master in a full-on blitz, Soul Eater lowered and dragging a shallow line in the sand, its wielder crossing the distance between them in seconds. With a distorted grunt, it swung the dark blade towards Riku's chest; slicing through thin air and stumbling, off-balance, as Riku pivoted away from the strike and slammed Braveheart into the Nightmare's back. His foe didn't stay down long, pushing off the beach into an overhead slash – parried – and jumping backwards, barely deflecting Riku's two-handed counterattack. It raised its offhand, black flame leaping to its fingertips, but couldn't even point the spell towards Riku before Braveheart's tip collided with its chest and sent it hurtling into the shallow surf.

  
"I don't know why you thought this would be a good idea," Riku said as the Nightmare struggled to its feet, "but you should know that no one has more experience fighting himself than me."

If the Nightmare heard, then it refused to respond, rushing towards Riku with the same blind aggression. He gripped Braveheart, tensing for another step in this matador dance, when a burst of heat from the corner of his attention threw him. Another foe? His eyes flickered to farther down the beach, away from the Nightmare charging towards him. Too late, Riku realized his mistake, the tip of Soul Eater worming past his guard, now inches away from plunging into his chest.

  
A blur of grey and pink and a distorted wail. The dark blade fell into the sand, its wielder inexplicably no longer holding it. Riku tracked his foe's location through the now splintered dock to about ten feet down the beach, next to another sprawled figure with similarly washed-out skin and a pale pink dress.

  
"Riku!" came a familiar shout from behind. He turned to see his best friend running towards him, grinning from ear to ear, her keyblade slipping out of her fingers and back into nonexistence.

  
"Kairi?" He dismissed Braveheart, catching the girl in a tight hug as she rammed into his chest, nearly knocking the air out of him. "What – hey, let a guy breathe – what exactly are you doing here? Did you follow me?"

  
"Follow you?" She let go of him, giving him a quizzical stare. "I just woke up..." Kairi trailed off, blinking in thought. "We fell asleep in my dad's house, on the main island, how did I end up..."

  
"I don't think we're actually awake," Riku said, pointing over his shoulder at the limp bodies of their foes. "Those are Nightmares, Sora and I ran into a whole bunch of them in the sleeping worlds during our Mark of Mastery exam. They inhabit the darkness of sleep the same way the Heartless inhabit the darkness of waking."

  
Kairi nodded slowly. "But if we're dreaming, then why are we on the island? Didn't you say the sleeping worlds had fallen far into darkness? Does that mean–"

  
"I don't know," Riku said, quickly, heart skipping a beat at the implication of their home being dragged back into the depths of shadow. "But at the end of our exam, Xehanort trapped Sora in a deep sleep to try and invade his heart. Maybe someone's done the same to us."

  
"Couldn't you and Sora summon Dream Eaters after you woke up though? Maybe these are just Nightmares that have escaped from the sleeping worlds."

  
"Maybe, but that doesn't explain how we ended up on the beach in the daytime."

  
Kairi shrugged. "Sleep walking?"

Riku chuckled. "I don't even remember falling asleep."

She opened her mouth to respond, but her gaze drifted past him and her expression hardened. "We'll figure it out later. Our company just came to." Destiny's Embrace formed in her grasp, Riku turning to see their two doppelgänger rising again.

"A Guardian's job is never done, huh?" He summoned Braveheart, tossing it from hand to hand. "Think you can handle your lookalike?"

Kairi scoffed. "I'll take care of both of them, just back me up. Aqua's been teaching me a few new tricks, you'll finally get to see what I've been working on." Riku felt his hair stand on end, lightning curling around Kairi's keyblade as she raised it to the heavens. "Thundaza!" A brilliant cascade of voltaic fury descended upon the two dark beings with a deafening roar, before the clash of keyblades once again eclipsed the quiet lapping of waves against the beach.


	2. Melody That Heralds Dawn Episode 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aqua's recurring dream has some unexpected inhabitants.

After Xehanort's defeat, on her first night back in her own bed after years, Aqua dreamt of the Realm of Darkness. It was a horrifying experience, feeling once again trapped and alone, leaving her shuddering even when she awoke. She didn't tell Terra and Ven, at first, selfishly convinced that appearing strong for them would be for the best. But that resolve didn't last long, and by that evening Terra had dragged all three of their beds into the Master's old room. As much as it pained her to learn that her brothers were also haunted by their own recurring nightmares, it did help to learn she wasn't alone. From that night on, when she found her feet carrying her through the moonlit tide into dim waters, Aqua was no longer afraid.

Usually though, her dreams were hazier, full of distant dread and the feeling of being watched. This one was both lucid and calm. It was almost pleasant, the crunch of the sand under her feet, the soft sound of waves lapping against shore. But the stillness unnerved her. The Realm of Darkness, even at its edges, had been filled with an unbearable weight. It had pulled at Aqua constantly, snarling at her every effort and – once – sinking its fangs deep into her heart. She could still feel the scars from her time beneath the waves, an itching on the inside of her chest, but strangely she could not feel the pressure now. This coast might have resembled the margin of the Realm of Darkness, but it felt like a hollow corpse of that place, defanged and motionless. Aqua wasn't sure if the change brought her greater relief or dread.

She stumbled, her foot catch on a small rock, and in that split second of rapid readjustment Aqua saw a blur flinch away from a nearby boulder. It was as dark as the rest of the beach, first, then in the space of a single blink it closed the distance between them with a literal flash, momentarily blinding her. Her eyes cleared, a keyblade pointed at her her face – a twisted thing of black iron and chains – tilted up at her from a black-cloaked figure whose own head came up about to her abdomen.

"Who are you?" the figure demanded, at at the sound of his young voice Aqua's brain ticked into motion. She unclenched and raised her hands, smiling softly.

"You don't recognize me?" she asked. "I know we never actually fought together, but I remember you."

He stared at her, wary little eyes peeking out from under the hood. The black keyblade wavered in his grasp, then lowered slightly. "Remind me." His tone was more even, but Aqua could still hear the distrust in his voice, the cold burning anger layered into a wall.

"My brother, Ventus, looks just like you," she replied, unable to help the small chuckle that crept into her voice, "but I can still tell you two apart, Roxas."

"Ventus's..." Roxas sighed, dismissing the ebon Oblivion and plopping down right there in the sand. "Sorry, being here makes me feel sorta...jumpy."

Aqua nodded, sitting down in front of the boy. "That's nothing to be sorry for, I know all too well what that's like." 

She reached out to place her hand on his, but Roxas recoiled backwards, scooting nearly a whole foot back. "There are only eight people who I will ever allow to touch me, and I've got nothing against you lady but you aren't one of them."

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry to push." She crossed her hands in her lap, smiling patiently at Roxas as he settled back down into a cross-legged seat. He might have only resembled Ventus in features – his presence was definitely that of a stranger – but she still felt some amount of residual sisterly compulsion towards the prickly boy.

"No, it's fine, I didn't mean to snap, uh..." Roxas stared blankly at her for a few moments. "Sorry, awful memory, what's your...um, name, again?"

"I don't know if we've ever been introduced properly, so there's nothing much to forget." She extended a hand to him, an optimistic just-in-case. "It's Aqua."

He glanced down at her hand, then her face, then her hand again, finally reaching out and gingerly shaking it. "I'm Roxas. Well, uh, you already knew that, but...yeah." She could feel a warmth and care to his touch, even in that short handshake, underneath the fence he had constructed around his heart. From here, he reminded her far more of Terra than Ven, of the weight and the guilt she could still see him tugging around.

"Would you mind if we walked for a bit? I've spent enough time sitting on this beach to last me my whole life." Aqua asked.

"Yeah, sure." Roxas rose to his feet. "You planning on looking for a way out?

"Maybe, but that's not usually how these sorts of dreams end for me."

"Dreams." Not quite a question, just an acknowledgement. "It's been a while since I've had them, but I thought they weren't supposed to feel, you know, real."

"They usually don't." Aqua started to walk, back in the same direction she had been going, and Roxas followed a half-step behind.

"How can you be sure we're dreaming then?" Roxas asked, tone too neutral to be accusatory, kicking a pebble down the surf.

"What's the last thing you remember before this?"

"Insomnia," he said. "Lying in bed waiting for sleep."

"And then you ended up here," she finished. "Just like me."

A shimmer rang in her ears as Roxas's keyblades leapt into his hands, the boy spinning around. "And like them?"

Aqua's attention had only lapsed for a few moments, but already her eyes swept up across no less than a triplicate of threatening figures, a myriad of dark forms advancing towards her from the endless dim. She stepped backwards, feeling Roxas's back against hers, no doubt facing down another few of their newfound foes. She squinted at them, the light of the false moon far off over the ocean illuminating the hazy outlines of three chillingly recognizable blades clutched in three dark hands. Aqua was used to running into freakish mirror images when dreaming, but this time it had brought friends, hollow mimics of Terra and Ventus standing alongside a dark Aqua, each emblazoned with a purple emblem she did not recognize. "I wouldn't bet on them being lost. They look a little too at home in this place."

"Looks like we're house crashers then," he said with a chuckle, "should I take point?"

Aqua shook her head. "Just hold back, I'll take them out. I've fought monsters like these since before you were born." She extended her hand, willing the Master's Defender to her grasp. But a different weight dropped into her fingers, and her eyes widened, a cold chill running up her spine. She raised it, staring down at the blue-silver sword in her hand, a keyblade she hadn't seen in over a decade, not since she had fallen to into darkness. Stormfall. Her mind would have raced, but frozen blood tends to stagnate, and the shock had taken a cheap shot on her senses.

"Aqua!" Ven's voice – no, Roxas's – shoved the air back into her lungs, a flash of light in front of her face, the boy suddenly standing in front of her, both keyblades crossed and sparking as he desperately pushed back against the Dark Terra and Ventus. She could feel a flare of darkness ripple through the air past him, her gaze darting upwards to her own mirror image, keyblade raised, covered in a shadowed flame and descending to strike past Roxas's defenses.

Aqua's legs moved before her mind could catch up, anger and adrenaline dragging her knee solidly into the side of Dark Aqua's head, feeling her momentum abruptly stop in midair as her doppelganger spun offcourse out of her vision with a distorted wail and land with a satisfying splash in the dark ocean. Then, gravity inexplicability catching up with her, Aqua dropped back towards the beach. Under ordinary circumstances, she might have rolled out of her fall, but that would have taken her farther away from Roxas, and she wouldn't dare risk being seconds too late to help him. So she braced herself and let her knees take the shock, grimacing; the sand did little to cushion gravity's blow to her legs. Already low, she sprung backwards, spinning into a horizontal slash with Stormfall across the backs of her brothers' mirrors. The injury didn't drop either foe, but it did stun them, long enough for Roxas to catch both the Dark Terra and Ventus in a powerful burst of light. The two foes fell, starting to fade back into the shadows.

"Sorry–" Aqua started, but Roxas shook his head, turning around to face another advancing trio of shades: his own dark facsimile, along with Axel and Xion's, if Aqua remembered them correctly.

"You're good to fight? No more thousand-yard stare?" he asked.

She glanced back down at Stormfall. It might have been years since she last grasped its hilt, but the keyblade felt right in her grasp. "No more hesitation," she said, "let's clean up."

"Wicked." She could hear the grin in his voice. "I've got your back."

"Thank you, Roxas." She pivoted on one foot to dodge the flaming black chakram ripping through the air towards her, nearly burning off her eyebrows as it passed. Roxas blinked out of existence again as Aqua faced the faux Xion, its dark keyblade elongating and thickening into a club-like sword. Its first strike went low, a double-handed swing towards Aqua's legs that she vaulted over, channeling a Magnet spell into the tip of Stormfall. Letting her momentum carry her past the Dark Xion, she slammed her blade against its chest, releasing the magic. The girl's doppelganger flew backwards into a large rock with enough force to crack the stone, falling into an unmoving slump.

Another chakram whistled towards her, and Aqua quickly raised a barrier, flame and metal bouncing off it. She tossed Stormfall towards the Dark Axel, her keyblade grabbing onto the edge of the barrier and pulling it into a humming spiral. Her foe backpedalled, throwing chakram after chakram into the Barrier Raid in a desperate attempt to waylay Aqua's attack, finally throwing up a wall of flames which managed to stop Stormfall, the keyblade grinding against its guard with a shower of sparks. But Aqua had dropped into a wide sprint and now slammed into the unprepared shade with her shoulder, pulling back and punching it directly in the nose with all her strength. The Dark Axel stumbled backwards, standing unsteadily for a moment before simply collapsing face-first onto the beach, groaning. Just for safe measure, Aqua called Stormfall to her grip again and dropped a Thundaga on its head before turning to check on Roxas.

The boy and his mirror image clashed on the water's edge, dark Oblivion against darker Oathkeeper, each blow punctuated by flashes of light from their movements. The two were evenly matched, but without his allies, there was little to protect the Dark Roxas from Aqua's meddling. She channeled a Blizzaga and launched it low across the sand, the trail of ice reaching the shade barely seconds later and flash-freezing its foot to the ground. It jerked in place, balance and focus lost, and unable to adjust before Roxas brought both keyblades down in an X-shaped slash across its chest. The Dark Roxas shrieked, an awful sound that trailed off thankfully quickly as the shadow of the boy dropped into the shallow wake. Darkness began to peel off it, the form melting, losing its shape until it was gone completely, vanished along the seafoam.

"You alright?" Aqua's heart raced but a little smile spread across her cheeks despite herself, the adrenaline of the fight fading into simple jittery nerves.

"Yeah," he panted, dismissing both keyblades and wobbling as exhaustion caught up with him, leaning back unsteadily on a nearby boulder. "That was...you weren't kidding, you really do know what you're doing."

"Like I said," she let Stormfall fade and reaching out her hand for him, "I've got experience."

"As expected of a Keyblade Master." Roxas took her hand gladly, and she pulled him up. His gaze traveled past her, eyes widening. "Look out!"

She spun around. The Dark Aqua, cast aside but still with fight left in her, now descended upon the pair, keyblade raised and lips pulled into a sadistic sneer. Aqua didn't have time to react, didn't have time to summon her weapon, her whole body tensed in anticipation of the killing blow aimed towards her neck. But the blow did not come. Instead, the dark moon glinted off a golden blade, zipping out of the corner of her vision directly into her attacker's side. The Dark Aqua cried out, offbalance, stunned by the strike, giving Aqua the opportunity she needed to call Stormfall back to her grasp.

" **Blizzaza.** " The spell struck its target in the chest, enveloping the Dark Aqua in ice, held just a moment in midair before falling. On impact with the sand, the frozen shade shattered, its fragments melting into nothing. Aqua traced the golden flash back to its owner, the two-foot tall keyblade wielder now rushing towards her over the sand.

"Howdy, Aqua!" King Mickey said. He dismissed his golden Kingdom Key.

"Howdy, your majesty," she responded, similarly letting go of Stormfall.

"Boy, am I glad to see you," he said, turning to Roxas as if in afterthought, "and you too, Roxas. The more keyblade wielders we can find, the better."

"Why yes," grumbled the boy, "I am fine, tiny mouse king. Thank you for asking."

"Aw geez, that's good to hear," Mickey started, trailing off mid-sentence. His ears twitched, brow furrowing. "More Nightmares on the way. We should get outta here before they reach us." Before the other two could respond, he turned and sprinted across the sand, away from the waterfront.

Aqua glanced at Roxas. The boy shrugged and ran after the king, with Aqua split-seconds behind. "Nightmares?" she called to Mickey, vaulting over a small rock.

"The darkness of slumbering worlds," he called back, rushing as fast as his little feet could carry him, "they feed off the fear and suffering of those in slumber, planting bad dreams and attacking denizens of light who invade their domain."

"Looks like you were right then Aqua," Roxas said. "We're in a dream."

She felt no joy at her theory's confirmation. The Realm of Sleep had clearly affected each of them in some capacity, altering their powers. It was far beyond her expertise, far beyond her knowledge. Fighting on an unfamiliar battlefield, especially one as strange as this, didn't place her at an advantage. Aqua sped up, catching up with the king and addressing him directly. "Mickey, tell me what you know about this place. About the Nightmares. Everything."

He nodded solemnly, slowing his run enough to let Roxas catch up with the two. "I'll tell you both everything that Master Yen Sid told me. I don't know much, but hopefully it'll help."

*************

By the time both Mickey's pace and information slowed, the trio had pushed farther into the facsimile of the Realm of Darkness. Glancing over her shoulder at times, she could see movement far behind her, some cluster of Nightmares following them, and the sight kept her sore legs moving.

"So," Roxas said between panting breaths, "just to be clear, our best bet to get out of this hellscape is to use the Power of Waking."

"It would be, 'cept I already tried it, and I couldn't find a way out," Mickey added.

"Right, so we're screwed," Roxas said.

"Until we find whoever trapped us here," Aqua said.

"How do you figure?" he asked.

"Just a hunch," she said, "but something about this situation feels stacked against us. A little too much like an attack."

"Shucks, you think it's Xehanort?" asked Mickey.

Aqua's hands clenched into fists. "If it is, then we'll stop him again."

Mickey looked about to answer, then his ears twitched again. "Both of you, stop!" He skidded to a halt, throwing his arms out in front of the two. Roxas yelped and backpedalled, slipping and nearly falling to the ground. Aqua stopped much more gracefully, but still nearly crashed into Mickey.

"What!?" Roxas demanded, but all anger left his features as he saw what towered in front of them.

At first, it seemed like a simple trick of the eye, a shimmering distortion between them and the horizon. But every few seconds, Aqua could see glints of bright grey and green shining through, sparks of something else woven into the incandescent plane, stretched as far as she could see vertically and horizontally.

"What is it?" she asked, quietly.

"I'm not sure," said Mickey, "I've never seen anything like it."

Aqua took a deep breath, then reached out for the surface. As her fingertips neared it, the surface rippled, distorting and bending towards her. She recoiled, pulling her hand back, and the distortion calmed again. She glanced to Roxas and Mickey, both staring at her, both clearly lost.

"Be careful?" Roxas said.

"I will be," she replied, and turned to the wall again. "Here goes." She reached out again, letting her fingertips brush against the surface. It lapped against her skin, cool but not wet, like an ocean breeze. Another breath, another moment of tension, and Aqua pushed her hand inside. The temperature drop reached her wrist, tingling and odd. She pulled her hand back out, flexing her fingers. It looked fine, felt fine, didn't seem to carry any adverse effects.

"Is it safe?" asked Mickey.

"I think so," she said. Aqua glanced over her shoulder, squinting at far off blurs of movement advancing ever closer, then to her companions. "I think it's some sort of gate."

"Huh." Roxas rose to his feet, grinning in anticipation of adventure. "Think we should see where it leads?"

"Let's." Aqua took another deep breath, held it, then stepped through the surface. She could see nothing. There were no sounds, no smells, nothing but the cool tingling against her skin. For a long, agonizing second, it was like moving through dirt, her movements slowing to a crawl, momentum alone dragging her into what felt like solid matter. Then her ears popped. All at once, the world flaring into brilliant existence again. She blinked, waiting for her eyes to adjust. Each breath filled her lungs with fresh air, wonderful and crisp and so pleasantly warm, once again embracing her insides with sun-warmed oxygen. She could hear the distant rustle of wind through the trees, and something like...water? Not waves against the shore, something else.

"Hey! Blue lady! Mind giving us a hand?" The frustrated shout brought her back to reality, back to the familiar sight of flowers and marble. The courtyard of Radiant Garden. And right in the center, surrounded by dark forms, was a young man with bright red hair and a flaming keyblade slung over his shoulder.

"Axel?!" came Roxas's voice from her left. Both he and Mickey were standing next to her now, and she felt a rush of relief knowing they hadn't been harmed or separated.

"Yo, Roxas!" Axel said with a grin, leaning over to nudge another young man standing next to him, this one with long silver-blue hair and an immense claymore. "Isa, check it out. Looks like the cavalry finally showed up."

Isa glanced over his shoulder at the trio. "Would you mind terribly helping us out, or would you rather just stand their gawking like idiots?"

Aqua scoffed, summoning Stormfall. "Roxas, take some pressure off your friends. Mickey and I will lead the charge. You three should keep the center clear for us, in case we need to rush back and heal. Got it?"

"Absolutely, Master." Roxas flickered away from her, flashes of light sending Nightmares flying out from the center of the courtyard.

"Let's go." Without another word, the two Keyblade Masters rushed into the fray.


	3. Dirge That Beckons Dusk Episode 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We interrupt our usual broadcast for an irregular check-in on a dark corner of the realm.

Xemnas had not spoken to Ageless One since they had departed together across the wasteland of empty worlds lying between them and their apparent destination. He had never been much one for talking, the Ageless One supposed, but they were a little bit tired of the silently-lead-and-you-silently-follow dynamic being established here.

"Let me guess: old, dark and gruesome had some sort of final clause in our contracts, pulled us back into the sleeping realm so we could continue his grand master plan?" they asked.

Xemnas flickered forwards, crossing a gap from one hovering skyscraper to another. "What is the phrase you are so fond of saying?" he replied. "As if?"

The Ageless One groaned, hopping the gap themselves. "Fine, fine, I get it, that's not the case. What, then? Why are we back here?"

Xemnas turned then, glaring at the Ageless One with his piercing yellow eyes. "For someone with as many withheld secrets as you, I would not expect you to assume I owe you any answers," he said.

How much did he know? The Ageless One considered breaking character, asking him directly, but thought better of it. Thankfully, they did not have to remain under his scrutiny for long, spying something curious within the rubble of a collapsed skyscraper. "Hold that thought." They crossed the distance quickly, hopping from rock to rock, arms outstretched for balance, grabbing the object of their curiosity under one arm before leaping back to solid ground. A boy, black cloak barely covering his mess of dark hair, unconscious but breathing.

"Another lost soul," Xemnas said.

"For a soul, he's damn heavy," the Ageless One quipped playfully. Xemnas's eyes narrowed. In an instant, the Ageless One was thrown backwards. They stumbled, blinking in surprise at Xemnas, who now had the boy slung over his shoulder. "What–"

"You have made it clear you have no intentions of telling me who you really are. So be it. But whomsoever you are, whomsoever you claim to be – I am intimately familiar with your expertise. I bid you follow because your talents are of use to me. If I required a pack mule, I would have sent for one. Carry your own burdens, keep your talents sharp, and I will insure your skills are properly applied." He turned sharply and continued walking.

The Ageless One stared after him for a moment, still somewhat in shock, before doubling over in a fit of laughter. "And here I was thinking being a person again wouldn't have changed you, Xemnas. You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" they said, wiping a tear from one eye.

He did not respond, but the Ageless One could detect just a hint of a smile in his words. "I will not ask you follow again. Come."

"Gladly, oh superior mine. To the ends of the earth." The Ageless One grinned. What an interesting journey this was looking to be.

*************

The black city, lit by naught but its own neon glow, was as silent as a graveyard. Of course there was no bustle to be expected this late at night, but there should still have been the sound of distant hounds barking, the lit windows of anxious students bent over their texts, the clicking of shoes on the cobblestones from nomads driven by their insomnia or any number of forbidden curiosities. This place though, was utterly hollow. No denizens of light to offer aid. None but the allies of shadow, and one lone keyblade wielder.

"Get up," the one who called himself Ansem demanded, "your lesson is not yet finished." Whatever it was, it was clearly not human, though it took the shape of one, a wicked echo of humanity. A black and red insignia of a heart on its chest, a parted black and blue-grey jacket, and silver hair flowing past its neck, floating nearly an entire foot off the ground, the air around its hands swimming with abyssal magics.

The young man sighed against the black concrete and rose unsteadily to his feet. His left arm pulsed with a dull ache – not quite a fracture, but he still needed to be wary about putting pressure on the joint. He bit his lip, focusing on his uninjured hand, picturing his keyblade, willing it to him. Wherever he was now, the blade hadn't followed him. He felt utterly defenseless. The young man sighed. Keep it together, Xehanort. Like your master taught you. "You claimed we were on the same side," he said, "this is a rather unpleasant way to treat a compatriot." Xehanort started to move, slowly circling Ansem.

The entity barely moved its head, tracking Xehanort with only its empty, golden eyes. "You and I are to serve the same greater purpose. If you refuse to realize your potential as a hand of the dark, then I have no choice but to show you the power you are missing."

"I know the strength of darkness, creature," Xehanort spat, his gorge rising, "and you should know I do not sway to threats."

"Oh, I am aware," he said, a chuckle in his voice, "this is merely a reminder of the strength you have abandoned. I will awaken your true purpose, just as you awakened mine those many years ago."

The blow came without warning, a fist crashing into Xehanort's stomach. The air vanished from his lungs, leaving him reeling, gasping for breath. He stumbled backwards, seeking an escape through blurred vision. A gloved hand closed around his throat. Ansem lifted the boy into the air. Xehanort flailed, kicking at the demon, but his strikes failed to sway it.

"Summon your keyblade," Ansem commanded.

"Believe me, I've been trying," Xehanort replied with difficultly, "can't quite...reach it."

"You cannot deceive me, child. I see into your heart, I see the blade within your grasp. Now, call it."

"See...this." Xehanort opened one hand directly towards Ansem's face, a bright flame leaping to his bare palm. The creature's eyes widened, scrambling back, not quite quick enough. " **Flare.** "

The blast was thunderous. Xehanort felt his arm flung backwards by the force of the explosion, intense pain shooting through the entire limb for a mere moment before the rest of his body was dragged backwards as well. The young man could neither see nor hear nor feel anything outside of the blinding pain shooting through every nerve.

This was it. This was his death.

"You're an idiot." A voice drifted to him through the tinnitus, something soft and cold and authoritarian. An anchor among the supernova that was his nervous system. "Using a spell like that without a keyblade to brace it against. Impressive, but stupid."

Xehanort's senses returned slowly. First sight: Ansem, arms protecting his face, feet on the ground, entire body letting off smoke. Feeling slowly crept back into his hands and feet. He too was stationary, a hand on his back propping him up, another softly squeezing his own. He could not move his head to look, but the ringing faded from his ears.

A shrill voice from somewhere to his left: "–not even in the same union! I don't see where you get off ordering me around."

The same calculated tone from directly behind him: "This isn't about union matters. This is about helping a fellow wielder in need."

"We don't even know him! How do you figure he's a keyblade wielder?"

The cool voice laughed. "Hold him steady and keep healing him. See if you can find out." The foreign hand left Xehanort's own as a young man with short, pale-rose hair stepped out in front of him. A white shirt beneath a black vest, with dark pink pants and black boots, staring towards the dark creature with an unwavering resolve.

"More self-appointed heroes," Ansem said, lowering his arms, face curled in a furious snarl, "injecting themselves in matters that do not concern them."

"Meddling is sort of our duty," said the young man, plainly. The air around his right hand blurred, a purple keyblade manifesting itself into his grasp. Its length was wrapped in green vines, covered in thorns and blooming at its tip into a quartet of crimson roses. "That's what a keyblade wielder does."

"A lovely sentiment," Ansem's voice dripped with venom, "I will be sure it is printed on your tombstone."

Xehanort could not see the young man's first blow. He blinked, and the pink-haired keyblade wielder had crossed the distance between himself and the abomination, slashing the edge of his sword up against the bare chest of his foe. Ansem, caught off guard, struck back but swung through empty air as the young man simply hopped out of range.

"Hell yeah!" came the voice from Xehanort's left. He slowly turned his gaze towards her, a girl with messy blonde hair, a black skirt and blue jacket, her hand glowing with pale green magic, an enormous grin on her face. "Kick his butt!"

The young man, however, paused, fingers of his left hand tapping rhythmically against his palm. "Tell me, what is your name?" he asked.

Ansem's features curled with confusion. "Excuse me?"

"I wish to acknowledge you as my foe," he said, as if it needed no explanation, "and to do that, I need your name, do I not?"

The demon blinked, then laughed softly. "I suppose you are correct. I am Ansem, peon. The Seeker of Darkness."

"Ansem, Peon, Seeker of Darkness," the young man repeated, chuckling. "I am Luariam, Dandelion, leader of the Anguis Union."

Ansem did not respond, two dark orbs igniting in his hands, sparking with energy.

"Ready yourself," said Lauriam. He raised his keyblade, one hand back, poising to strike.

" **Enough.** " An unfamiliar voice echoed through the clearing, deep and booming and filled with some great and terrible authority. All eyes turned to the new arrivals, each dressed in the same black coat. The first, a man with spiked hair the same color silver as Ansem – and with an eerily similar face – had the second draped over one shoulder. The third followed a few steps behind, hood pulled over their face, though Xehanort could feel their gaze studying him even from this distance. "We are united in this realm to once more pursue our grand purpose, and yet I find you here at each other's throats like common ramble, lead by your hearts into cacophony."

Ansem scoffed, letting the shadows fade from his grasp. "These three still think themselves beyond our task. They dishonor the Organization–"

"And you honor it by seizing authority at first convenience?" His twin said, his voice low and frigid. "By taking it upon yourself to personally quash dissent by force? You have let your ego guide your hand."

"I don't know who any of you people are," said Lauriam, keyblade still raised, "but we don't throw our lot in with the dark."

"Ah, how rude of me." The lookalike turned to the three keyblade wielders, bowing his head slightly. "I am Xemnas. And as poor a first impression as my other may have shown you, we are all here to aid in the same purpose."

"You keep...saying purpose." Xehanort spat, dragging himself unsteadily to his feet. "What purpose?!"

"Perhaps you should ask our benefactor himself." Xemnas motioned with one arm to the skyscraper, and Xehanort turned his gaze to it, up and up to the very top, peering towards the distant roof. He had not seen him before, but there was a figure there, far above, watching.

Without a word, the figure stepped off the roof, plummeting to the ground far below. Xehanort watched, breath caught in his chest, as his descent slowed to a safe crawl, all momentum gone as if by thought. His long purple robes reached the ground before his two bare feet, the cloth covered with bands of green and blue in an intricate spiraling design. His hair was pitch black and short, almost buzzed, and his face was covered by a dark mask emblazoned with an insignia: a purple heart, crossed with two bat wings. Through holes cut in the mask, Xehanort could see two bright red eyes staring into him, like crimson daggers pointed directly at his heart. He shuddered.

"That symbol," said the girl next to Xehanort, her voice uneven, "a Nightmare?"

"Not quite," replied the robed figure, jovial but tinged with an uncaring demeanor, "but you aren't far off. I am..." He scratched his chin. "I am the song this world sings to itself in sleep. I am the dread tide on dark shores and a clock ticking each second closer to oblivion. I am the safety and security of knowing all future endeavors shall one day be reduced to ash. I, keyblade wielder, am Erebus Nocturne. I am the rightful heir to this realm. And your fate belongs to me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all very much for your patience with this chapter! It's not as long as I'd like, especially since it took so long to write, but hopefully this should tide you all over for the next few weeks, till I can finish up with school. I should have the next chapter out by mid-May. Fingers crossed! As always, thank you so much for reading this, and for anyone who has left their feedback. I appreciate it so so much more than I can say. Toodles for now!


	4. Melody That Heralds Dawn Episode 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riku and Kairi find a new friend and a new foe in an unfamiliar world.

It had taken nearly an entire day of wandering through a series of worlds, connected through those odd fluid barriers, for Kairi to get used to to what Riku described as the "loop." Enter a new world, fight Nightmares, beat Nightmares, gather items, set off for the next world. When she imagined her best friends off exploring the cosmos on their previous adventures, she had never once considered scavenging to take such a pivotal role. But as Riku had so eloquently put it: "The Nightmares are endless. Our supplies are not."

As the last umbral foe faded from sight, Kairi let out a loud sigh, collapsing back on a nearby wooden bench. "Do we have any more Ethers?"

"One," Riku replied, pulling the soft plastic cube from his pocket. "You can have it, if you want. I barely used any magic that last fight." He tossed it her way.

"Yes, please." She raised her hands, catching it out of the air, the turquoise liquid sloshing around inside. Their current world was a bright marketplace, dozens of stalls dense with strange fruit and vegetables, sheltered from the sun by bright red and blue umbrellas. It was flanked on one side by a wall of empty shops and storerooms, and on the other by a rail protecting them from a sheer drop into a sea of fog. At first glance, she thought it might have been an unfamiliar corner of Radiant Garden, but it felt utterly alien from her old home. No, this was a different world entirely.

"Catch your breath," Riku said, "I'll take a look around."

Kairi gnawed at the perforated edge of the Ether – the item was supposed to be easy to open, but she had never been able to tear it cleanly with just her fingers.

"You know," he said, hopping over a large crate to root around inside one of the market stalls, "that's probably really bad for your teeth."

She gave him a dirty look and ripped the plastic edge open with her canines, shuddering at the Ether's awful taste. Axel, when they had been training together, once compared the flavor to mint cough syrup. It was not an inaccurate assessment. Nevertheless, the moment it slipped down her throat, she felt the pangs of fatigue leave her limbs, her whole body warming as magic once more flowed through her veins. Kairi tilted her head back and squeezed the Ether into her mouth, swallowing it as soon as she could to minimize the amount of time it spent on her tongue.

"Grosssssss," she said, crumpling up the plastic cube and tossing it into the garbage can next to the bench. "Find any goodies yet?"

"No," Riku replied, his silver hair popping up over an assortment of fruits in myriad shades of red. "And I seriously doubt dream food has any nutritional value."

"Well, I don't feel that hungry." She stood, crossing to the stall and picking up one of the fruits. Kairi raised it to her nose and sniffed. It didn't smell like much at all. "Did you ever eat anything when you were in the sleeping worlds?"

"I never needed to." He grabbed one of the fruits himself, tossing it up and down in one hand. "Turns out, having a whole bunch of magical creatures follow you around makes hunting for potions sort of excessive."

"Lucky," she smirked, tapping her fruit against his. "Cheers?"

"Cheers."

The two keyblade warriors took simultaneous bites of their crimson dreams. It tasted...like nothing. It would have been underwhelming if not for the viscerally unpleasant mouthfeel of juicy fruitmeat with absolutely no flavor – like a mouthful of wet paper. 

Kairi did her best to stifle a gag, forcing herself to swallow. "Well, at least that got rid of the Ether aftertaste," she grumbled.

"It's got a pit, I think," Riku said, taking another bite, rolling it around his mouth. "Like some kind of peach. No, the skin's smooth. Nectarine?"

"How in the world can you keep eating that?" Kairi asked.

"It's not bad," he said. "I mean, it's literally the blandest thing I've ever eaten, but I've had worse."

"Weirdo," she said, rolling her eyes with a grin still plastered across her face.

"Yeah," he tossed the fruit over his shoulder, "I think I'm done here. If there aren't any items here, we should try and keep moving till we find some."

Kairi was about to reply when the jingle of tiny bells echoed through the empty market. Her inquiry froze in her throat, eyes flickering right towards the sound. In half a second and a blur of motion and magic, both her and Riku had pointed their keyblades directly at its source: a small blue and purple creature staring at the two through bright yellow eyes. 

Riku let out a little cough of laughter. "Oh my god." Braveheart vanished from his grip. "Speak of the devil, hey there little buddy."

Kairi lowered Destiny's Embrace slightly, not yet dismissing it, squinting at the little monster. It was feline, but not quite a cat, with six stubby legs and a large music-note-shaped tail. Around its neck and atop each large ear was a golden bell, no doubt the source of the previous jingling. The "cat" sat back on its haunches, tilting its head and returning Kairi's curious gaze with its own neutral one. "What...is it?"

"A Spirit. Finally one of the Dream Eaters who aren't out to personally kick our teeth in." Riku scrambled over the wooden stand and crouched down in front of the Dream Eater, scooping it up in one fluid motion and cradling it like a strange, ovoid child. "You have no idea how happy I am to see one of you here."

"I'm happy to see you too, Riku," said the cat-thing in a voice like an echoed breeze, "but please put me down."

The boy neither moved nor spoke for what felt like minutes. "Right, uh, sorry." He gently placed the creature back on the pavement.

"Thank you," it said, stretching out its unnatural body. "Lovely to see you too, Kairi."

"Hi," Kairi said, not quite sure how to respond. "You too?"

"Sorry it's taken me so long to find you," the Spirit continued. "I meant to come grab you both sooner, but I needed to watch over another keyblade wielder first. Which reminds me," with a little flick of its tail, the cat-thing turned and galloped across the red ground, "there's someone who needs your help. Follow me!"

Riku watched it with a slack-jawed expression of complete cluelessness. "I...should we...?"

"Less talking, more running," Kairi said, legs suddenly spurred to action, darting after the jingling Dream Eater. She could hear Riku right behind her, his footsteps echoing in her ears. Another keyblade wielder. Another keyblade wielder. Another keyblade wielder. The Spirit's words bounced around her head, heart pounding against her ribcage, hoping against hope that the creature was talking about him. Please. Let him be here. Let him be okay.

 

*************

 

The Dream Eater slowed down once they made it out of the marketplace, but the pace at which it wove through alleyways, up and down stairways through this maze-like world was honestly a little humiliating. Kairi considered herself in pretty good shape but it didn't take long for her muscles to stiffen to the point of agony. Sometimes Riku was in front of her, sometimes behind, always breathing heavy but always staring ahead, eyes forward. She didn't need to ask to know what fueled his run.

Riku stumbled halfway up yet another set up stairs, growling and shoving a hand in his pocket. "Potion," he said, turning to hand a green, star-shaped candy to Kairi.

"Thank you." She gladly took it, popping it in her mouth and chewing, breathing hard through her nose, slowing only enough to ensure she didn't accidentally choke on it. It was much more palatable than the Ether had been, sort of pleasantly sour-sweet, although the texture was a bit like chewing on rubber.

"You okay to keep going?" he asked, through a mouthful of his own Potion.

Kairi just glared at him and kept running. The next few minutes passed in a haze, nothing but a blur of the sound of the Spirit's distant bells cutting through her own hoarse breath. Another keyblade wielder. Another keyblade wielder. Another–

A sharp yowl knocked her mind back into her head. The three of them had ducked into a long tunnel, lit by the softly flickering lamps above, the flat ground a definite improvement over the vertical slopes that had plagued them earlier. The Spirit had stopped suddenly a little ways in front of the keyblade wielders, its haunches raised, staring straight ahead. Kairi skidded to a halt, squinting past the feline. The tunnel's end was only a few feet past, the portal leading onto what appeared to be a bridge. She could hear the faint sound of the same waterfalls as in the marketplace. Kairi's eyes finally adjusted to the sunlight again and despite the long run she had just taken, she could no longer hear her own heartbeat.

There was a body crumpled on the bricks. Their back was turned, curled up in the fetal position, but she could spy hints of silver hair gleaming in the sun. A red scarf around their neck fluttered weakly against the ground, dragged around by the breeze. There was someone in-between Kairi and the body, a horrifying familiar outline. Spiky hair. Baggy clothing. Oversized shoes. A long, plain keyblade.

As figure turned to face her, she could see its color wasn't a trick of the light. Every aspect of the creature, from its skin to its clothes to its Kingdom Key, was the approximate shade of the midnight sky. The only color on it was on its chest, a Nightmare insignia, glowing a deep red unlike the usual purple of the other Nightmares. She stared at its empty face, trying to see any resemblance to her childhood friend in those features. Then, it opened its eyes. They were almost like dolls eyes, awful and glassy and fake, gleaming a sickly crimson. Wisps of purple smoke flickered off its pitch skin, bubbling with some barely contained power.

"On the ground," Riku said from behind her, his voice more unsteady than she had ever heard before, "that's not him, is it?"

"No," she said.

"I don't think that means we're allowed to leave them though, does it?"

Her hands closed around the hilt of her keyblade. She hadn't called Destiny's Embrace, but the key had come nevertheless, no doubt responding to the adrenaline kicking her sore muscles back into action.

"Guess not," he said. She heard Riku's keyblade shimmer into existence. "Kairi. I've got your back."

"I know."

The Nightmare that looked like Sora began to move. One foot in front of the other, it walked slowly towards the entrance of the tunnel. Their Spirit friend glanced back at them, then slowly moved to the side, haunches still raised. She watched it come closer. Move. Her legs would not obey, her joints stiff, locked in place. Move. **Move.**

Kairi shoved off the ground. She was off balance but she didn't allow herself to stumble, rushing the Nightmare. No more fear. Only fury.

She felt the first clash before she saw it, the impact of Destiny's Embrace against the Kingdom Key, sending a tremor through her arms. Kairi dug her heels in, grimacing, her keyblade sparking and metal screeching against metal. She stared into the Nightmare's crimson eyes. 

The hairs on the back of her head prickled, a wave of heat hitting her back, and she grinned. She pivoted on one foot, pulling to the side and letting the Nightmare's strength pull it past her, directly into the path of Riku's Dark Firaga.

But the Nightmare tilted its head slightly, turning to watch her move. Her smile vanished. The Nightmare simply leaned backwards, its spine curling unnaturally into a bow that would have been impossible for a human. Riku's spell missed its target completely. Despite the heat that still hung in the air, Kairi felt very very cold.

Still low, the Nightmare pushed off the ground, swinging the dark Kingdom Key in a wide vertical arc. Kairi raised her keyblade in a panicked guard, the strike slamming against Destiny's Embrace with force enough to practically knock her off her feet. She slid backwards, her heels grinding against the cobblestones. The Nightmare gave no respite, a furious pursuit of blows against her guard, forcing her into a desperate backpedal.

"Riku!" She felt her feet collide with the edge of the bridge, the ringing of metal in her ears mixing with the roaring of the waterfall behind her. Her foe raised its keyblade again.

"Kairi, go low!" Riku shouted, his feet pounding against the stone in a mad dash towards his friend.

She grit her teeth and waited, eyes locked on the end of the Nightmare's keyblade, guard still up, ready to move as soon as it did. The blow came, a horizontal swing that might have taken her head off if she hadn't ducked out of the way. Kairi slammed Destiny's Embrace against the Nightmare's leg as hard as she could. It wasn't the strongest blow, with the limited space she had to move, but the creature buckled slightly, knocked off balance by the strike. It stared down at her, dazed just long enough to let Riku's next attack connect. Rather than stopping his sprint, the keyblade master held Braveheart out to the side with both hands, hitting the Nightmare with a clothesline. Their dark aggressor hung in the air for a moment, completely horizontal, before gravity caught up and it fell back-first onto the cobblestones. 

Kairi didn't let the moment pass, raising Destiny's Embrace. " **Light**!" The keyblade erupted with brilliance, engulfed fully with an overwhelming luster that erased its intricate details in an unanimous flare. She spun the weapon around, point down, and stabbed towards the Nightmare. It rolled out of the way, her killing blow sinking into the ground instead, letting loose a shockwave of magic that knocked her still prone foe backwards with immense force. It collided with the other end of the bridge with an audible crack and slumped, motionless.

"Almost got it." Riku said, offering his hand to Kairi.

She took it, eyes still trained on the Nightmare as he pulled her back to her feet. Kairi could feel the malice still radiating off it like a foul stench. "It's not over yet."

But the Nightmare did not rise. The keyblade, however, began to shudder in its grasp. It skittered back and forth, like an anxious animal, dragging the motionless Nightmare across the ground. A puppet yanked around by a single string. The sight of it made Kairi feel sick.

"What the hell?" Riku said, his voice wavering with some unknown mix of anger and disgust.

The cat spirit galloped across the stone in front of them, slowing its pace to watch the Nightmare writhe. "Night-Terror. They hunt in the deeper realms of sleep, but it looks like this one wandered out into shallower waters."

"Oh, fantastic," Kairi grumbled. "Good to know the monster trying to kill us is more uncommon and scarier than we anticipated. Do you plan on telling us how to beat it?"

The Spirit thought about it for a moment. "I don't know if you can. Neither of you are at your full strength here. The Night-Terror will just continue to draw power from the deeper dreams, you can't outlast it."

"So, what, we run?" Riku asked, incredulous.

"Yes," the feline said. "Preferably, one of you could help me lift our unconscious friend over there while the other one keeps the Nightmare occupied."

Riku and Kairi exchanged a glance. "Rock, paper, scissors?" Riku offered.

"Just go grab him," she snapped back. Kairi turned to the still writhing Nightmare, which had finally managed to drag itself back to its feet. She held Destiny's Embrace in front of herself with both hands. The hilt felt unsteady in her grasp. It might have been the blade trembling or her hands, she couldn't quite tell. Kairi took a long breath.

Riku placed a hand on her shoulder. "Just keep it occupied long enough for me to get this guy off the bridge. Then I'll come back for you," he said.

"I know you will." His hand left her. Kairi closed her eyes, reaching out with her heart, feeling the echoing beat of Destiny's Embrace, each beat sending a little electric pulse through her. " **Light**." She beckoned again and the light obliged. The heat was immediate, not the inexplicable burning heat of a bonfire but the encompassing warmth of the noonday sun. When she opened her eyes, her keyblade was once again engulfed in light. Through the haze, she could see the Nightmare watching her, no doubt hesitant to attack. "Come on then," she said.

Its gaze drifted to the side, towards Riku and the Spirit and the unconscious boy. It took a single step towards them.

"Come on!" Kairi snarled, shoving off the stone and crossing the distance in an instant, slamming her empowered keyblade into the Nightmare's. She swung again and again with both hands and it guarded with only one, tilting and pivoting to parry each blow. It continued to hold its ground, recoiling from the shining blade, refusing to strike back or open its guard even a little. Kairi, in return, rained blows down on it, forcing it to continue defending against her assault.

It unfortunately didn't take long for her attacks to weaken. The Nightmare didn't seem to tire but Kairi did, the light surrounding her keyblade flickering and fading from a sheer brilliance to an unsteady glow. Soon, her foe began pushing back against her blows, testing her, waiting for her to slip up. Her brow was so slick with sweat that she could barely see.

The Nightmare finally swung back, the clash sending Kairi stumbling, wide open. She saw the Kingdom Key slicing through air towards her, throwing up her left arm to protect her neck, not quick enough to raise her keyblade. The impact came and left before the pain could reach her, but the agony was enough to force her to her knees, biting down on her own teeth. The blow hadn't broken the skin but she could feel it in her bones, maybe not broken but she wouldn't dare move it. She glared up at the Nightmare. Its red eyes were still glassy, unfeeling, cold beyond cold. It raised the Kingdom Key to strike again.

"Kairi!" A girl's voice. It was familiar, somehow, but distant. The chime of a recollection she hadn't thought to make. Then she saw the Spirit, hurtling through the air directly onto the Nightmare's face, a ball of hissing claws and feral spittle. The Nightmare swatted at it with its offhand, wailing through its impossible mouth, stumbling backwards against the bridge's low wall.

Kairi moved on pure instinct, shoving shoulder-first into the Nightmare's chest. It toppled backwards, horizontal for a split second. She barely had time to grab the Spirit by the scruff of its neck, pulling it back onto the bridge. The Nightmare was not as lucky. With a long shriek, it vanished off the side, hurting out of sight. Kairi lay back, eyes wide and heart pounding, clutching the Spirit to her chest.

"Are you okay?" it asked. Its hair still stood up, ruffled and prickly.

"I think so." She tried to stand up but accidentally put weight on her injured arm, grimacing and slipping back down. "Ow."

"Careful," the Spirit said softly, hopping out of her grip and shaking itself off. It stretched, tensing its whole body and twitching its tail back and forth, the bell around its neck letting off a hollow green glow as it rang. " **Cure**." The glow spread to Kairi's arm, melting into her skin and then fading completely.

She flexed her fingers, testing the healed limb. It still hurt, but the pain had faded into a dull ache that didn't stop her from moving it. "Thank you." Kairi rose, a post-adrenaline grin finding its way onto her lips. "And you said we couldn't beat–"

Thunk. Kairi froze. She and the Spirit both rushed to the bridge's edge, peeking down over it. There was the Nightmare, still alive, its Kingdom Key imbedded in the wall. It reached up with its offhand, scrabbling for a handhold. When it found one, it pulled its keyblade out and then slammed it back in a few feet higher. Thunk. It glanced up at Kairi and the Spirit, red eyes glowing with an unmitigated fury.

"Oh, come on!" Kairi growled, channeling a Firaga into Destiny's Embrace. The tip of her keyblade spluttered and sparked, a fireball beginning to form before popping like a sad balloon.

"We need to go," the Spirit said, a note of laughter in its voice, "it won't take long for the Night-Terror to make it up here, and I don't think either of us wants to be here when it does."

"Fine," Kairi replied and scooped the cat up before rushing off down the bridge back the way she had come. The Spirit let out a little surprised murp at being picked up but seemed to settle at least somewhat comfortably in her arms. "So, when did you plan on telling me you had been turned into a cat, Namine?"

The Spirit-Namine's fur ruffled a little. "And here I thought you had forgotten me." Namine laughed softly. "Sorry, that's in poor taste."

"It's fine," Kairi said with a chuckle of her own. "Why are you a cat, anyway?"

"This isn't actually me," she said, "I'm somewhere else in this realm. This Dream Eater let me control it so I could speak to you."

"I wasn't aware that was something you could do."

"It isn't, normally. Aub–" Namine's voice fell off mid-sentence. "I can't tell you much more yet, I'm sorry. I made a promise that I'd take you somewhere first."

Kairi raised an eyebrow. "A promise to who, exactly?"

Namine didn't answer.

"Fine, okay. But when we get there, you gotta promise me that you'll explain what's going on."

"I promise," she said. "And Kairi? Thank you for trusting me. I know I haven't particularly earned it."

"We used to be the same person, Namine." Kairi said. "I can't help but trust you." Maybe it was just the feeling of her feet pounding against stone, but she could have sworn the Spirit-Namine began to purr in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your patience with this (very long) chapter. Work and school have both taken up a lot of my time and energy, but with summer on the horizon hopefully I'll be able to post more often from here on out. Fingers crossed, as always. Also, I'm going to be going back and adding Chapter Summaries to the rest of the story, just as a heads up.


	5. Melody That Heralds Dawn Episode 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terra and Ventus have a nice fight and a nicer talk, before being joined by some surprise visitors who immediately want to leave again.

Terra was not quite used to introspection. When he was younger, he had relied on his own judgement to guide him, trusting his intuition even when it led him astray. When he stood against his own father to protect his brother, as much as it broke his heart, he had done so knowing it was right. Xehanort's betrayal had clouded that clarity. Even so, he was unaccustomed to being placed at such an unclear crossroads. His eyes drifted across the horizon, the bright blue sky and swift-moving clouds in the distance, stretching off towards infinity. The water was stagnant around his ankles, a shallow ocean without waves.

The whistle of a keyblade sliced through the air to Terra's right. He knew it was propelled by more than its owner's strength, the projectile would be amplified by wind magic. Facing it head on would be foolhardy, and he lacked the speed to properly evade it. Thankfully, Ventus had aimed high. Terra swept his own keyblade across the ground, its teeth sending ripples through the infinitesimally shallow water, and then swung it up with all his might. He felt metal grind against metal for a mere moment, then the two blades slipped past each other. Wayward Wind tore over Terra's head, missing him by inches. He turned to watch the keyblade complete a wide arc back to its owner, Ventus catching it perfectly.

"You're distracted, Terra," he said. "I thought we were sparring, but you're just watching the clouds."

"I'm thinking," Terra said. "We both have a decision to make. I'm trying to think it over."

"Yeah, I know that, duh," Ventus poked back. "But at least fight back or something, you can't beat me by just standing there."

"Maybe I can't," he replied, "but then again, maybe I can." He smirked, resting Ends of the Earth on his shoulder. "Come on then."

His brother groaned. "Ugh, fine." Ventus tossed his keyblade from hand to hand, playing at apathy, then dropped into a sheer sprint. 

Terra tensed, waiting for the boy to reach him, until he could see those green eyes glimmering with anticipation, then he simply stepped back and pivoted around him. Ventus sailed past, his own momentum sending him far off the mark, stumbling across the water. He let out a frustrated yell and scrambled back into a lunge, swinging wildly at Terra. But the Keyblade Master was grounded, calm, moving slowly and carefully. He raised Ends of the Earth, letting the frenzied blows slip off his guard, letting Ventus tire himself out. "Breathe," he warned, parrying the boy's next strike with a powerful shove.

Ventus stumbled backwards, flailing his arms, collapsing with a loud splash into the shallow water. Terra snickered, and his brother glared at him through his soaked blond locks. "I am breathing," he grumbled.

"You're also putting too much into your attacks. Not every hit needs to deal damage in order to be useful. You kept me on guard, which was good, but you can't break my defense with brute strength. If you had used half that much force, I still would have been stuck blocking you but I wouldn't have been able to throw you off balance." Terra smiled. "You're trying too hard to move your body–"

"I need to let my body move me." Ventus rose, shaking himself off like a wet dog, sending a cascade of droplets in all directions. "I know, I know." He spun Wayward Wind around, fingers dancing across the rotating hilt, eyes glazed somewhere off to Terra's right.

"Ready for round two?" The brunet prompted.

"Yep." Ventus started to walk, his gaze trained on Terra again, slowly circling his brother. "I need to be careful not to put everything I have into one attack, right?"

"Right." Terra turned as Ventus did, keeping watch on the boy's keyblade, making sure not to let himself get distracted. "Sometimes, it can be useful to put some extra oomph behind a clean strike, but you always want to have as much or more energy than whoever you're fighting. Burn out faster than them, and it becomes their fight." He began to advance. Ven stepped backwards instantly, keeping a cautious buffer between them.

"Is that what you're worried about? Why you're thinking so hard about this offer?"

Terra's movements stalled. The white-robed woman's words flashed through his head again. An offer of unparalleled strength extended to him and his allies. A malevolent force threatening the deepest Realm of Slumber. A war. Champions. Obedience. "Yes, in part. I don't want to risk so much for someone I can't trust yet."

"Namine trusts her." Ventus began to lean forward, bouncing on his heels, letting Terra close the distance between them step-by-step.

"Do you?" he asked.

"Don't know. I don't think it matters."

Terra frowned, bringing his keyblade up. "How can it not matter? She wants us to fight for her, to follow her orders, to be her soldiers." With both hands, he brought the blade down.

Ventus rolled to the side, hopping back to a safe distance again. Terra's strike hit ground with a thunderous splash, sending a small wave across the water. "World order. We're keyblade wielders, we go to different worlds and fight darkness and protect light."

"That's not what world order means," Terra said, quietly.

"It means that if I need to be the size of a mouse, or fight a bunch of evil trees, or fix an ice cream machine so I can save people, then that's what I'll do," he said, springing into a horizontal slash. "What's one more hoop to jump through?"

Terra flipped his keyblade around into a backhanded guard, the two blades clashing against each other. Green sparks flashed across his vision and he clenched his teeth hard. "What about stealing someone's heart? Helping a tyrant? Making a deal with darkness? That sort of blind acceptance is dangerous, Ven. Sometimes playing along can do more harm than good." He pushed against Wayward Wind, testing the boy, Ventus beginning to slide backwards.

"Who says we always need to play along?" Ventus suddenly dropped his guard and slipped around to Terra's right. The Keyblade Master couldn't stop his momentum fast enough, stumbling into a desperate roll forward to avoid Ven's next strike. "If this lady turns out to be super evil, then we don't need to be her 'Champions' anymore. We make things right, kick her butt and save the world anyway."

"It's not that easy." Terra stood, facing his brother again, holding his keyblade with both hands now. "She's not just asking for our help, she's offering us power. Whatever her blessing is, who's to say it won't turn to a curse the moment we disobey her? I won't let you take that kind of risk."

"Won't let _me_?" Ventus quirked an eyebrow. "Meaning, you plan on agreeing and just telling me to sit around twiddling my thumbs while you fight a war on your own."

Terra froze. No, of course, he hadn't. The thought had crossed his mind but he had decided against it. Then why was his heart already resolved to fight alone? Terra's keyblade jolted out of his hands, sent flying out of his distracted grip. He looked down to find Wayward Wind pointed directly at his chest. Terra sighed, raising both hands in defeat. "Alright, you got me. I surrender."

Ventus grinned and dismissed his blade. "Good spar, Master Terra." He bent down, picking Terra's keyblade out of the water and handing it back to him. "No one's going to let you sacrifice yourself just to check if it's safe for the rest of us. That's not how we do things."

"We the Champions of Dreams?" Terra asked with a smile, taking Ends of the Earth and letting it drift back into unreality.

"Or Guardians of Light. Or whatever we call ourselves, it doesn't really matter." Ventus stretched, staring up at the bright blue sunless sky of the Final World. "We're going to fight together, or not at all. Nobody left behind. Nobody forgotten."

He nodded, placing a hand on Ven's shoulder. "Spoken like a true Keyblade Master."

Ven gave his brother a sheepish grin. "Not yet, I still haven't caught up with you or Aqua."

"Well, you did take a dozen-year long nap," Terra teased, "but you'll get there soon. I know you will."

Somewhere, in the far horizons all around them, a distant bell echoed. It was a sound like chimes in the wind stretched and amplified a thousandfold, the harmony of reality bending at its seams. Terra whirled around, eyes darting across the empty world, searching for the sound's origin.

"Terra!" Ven grabbed his shoulder, pointing his attention towards a shape beginning to form some thirty feet away. A pair of blurred forms, two black hazes, shifting and squirming into existence.

The two keyblade wielders summoned their weapons. "Ven, keep close," Terra said, "I don't know–"

He was interrupted by a flat, hollow bang, almost like an old balloon was suddenly popped. The membrane between worlds tore open and the first of the figures was tossed unceremoniously into the Final World. At first, Terra thought it was a trick of the light, that spiky blond hair poking out of the black cloak. But then, memory queued in. It was the other boy, the Guardian, Sora's other.

Roxas looked around with a frankly queasy expression, stumbling back and forth, completely dazed. "Where..."

He didn't get a chance to finish before the second bang hit, and the other figure was also thrust into thin air. A streak of red hair, a familiar face and a flaming keyblade clutched in one hand.

"Lea!?" Ventus exclaimed, rushing towards his friend, Terra following right behind.

Lea stared at the fast approaching boy. "Whozzat?" he called out, shaking his head and squinting. "Oh, hey Ven. Sorry, I'm–" He tried to stand fully upright, but his legs gave out immediately and the redhead dropped to his knees, breathing hard. "Oh wow, that's much worse than I thought."

"Are you both alright?" Terra asked. Ven reached Lea's side and grabbed him in a tight hug.

"Don't squeeze," Lea said in a strained voice, "unless you feel like wearing the sandwich I had for lunch today."

"I'm fine, thanks," replied Roxas, still somehow able to hold himself upright, though he looked like he might pass out at any second. Terra offered a hand to the boy but got only a dazed glare in response. "I said I'm fine."

"Yeah, same here," groaned Lea, "but if you could tell whoever's shaking the entire world to please knock it off, I'd appreciate it."

Terra laughed softly. "I know how you feel, my trip here wasn't exactly pleasant either. The nausea should wear off pretty soon, but you both should probably take it easy just in case."

Lea stared at him, face scrunched up. "What do you mean 'you both'?" He glanced over his shoulder, expression slowly shifting from confusion to panic. "Oh no. No. No no no no no!" He scrambled to his feet, stumbling back and forth, looking around desperately. "Where....they were right behind us, they can't just be gone!"

"Lea," Terra said, placing a hand on the young man's shoulder, "just slow down. Who are you talking about?"

"Isa. Mickey. Aqua." Roxas said, voice strained but filled with fury. Terra felt his breath halt in his lungs. "We were fighting into a couple...freakishly strong Nightmares. Couldn't beat 'em, so we ran. Escaped by slipping into another world, ended up here."

"How do we get out of here?" Lea asked, arms out, trying to feel around for the membrane he came in through. "Where's the exit?"

"I...don't know," Ven said quietly, his voice low and expression stunned.

"We can't just leave them there!" he snarled back.

"Lea!" Terra snapped. Lea froze. "Calm down. Neither of you are in any condition to fight, even assuming the journey back would be easier on you than the journey here was. I know Aqua well, even if she can't beat whatever foe you faced, she's not going to let anything happen to your friends. My sister will keep them both safe. I promise you that."

"We still can't just do nothing," Lea replied, though the panic had faded from his voice.

"That's exactly what _you're_ going to do," Terra said. "Ventus and I are going to go get them, all three of them. We're keyblade wielders, we don't leave friends behind."

The words were like a splash of cold water on Ventus, who began moving immediately, knocked back into focus. "Aqua and Terra are both Keyblade Masters, and I'm almost as strong as them. Doesn't matter if we have to fight ten Nightmares or a hundred, we'll save them. One hundred percent."

No one said a word for a long few breaths.

"Promise me you'll bring them back. All three of them, safe. Promise me." Roxas finally said.

"I swear." Terra said.

"Yeah, I swear too." Ventus hurriedly added.

"Good enough," he said, before collapsing on the spot like a puppet with the strings cut. It took a few seconds of shocked silence for anyone to react.

"Roxas!" Lea scrambled over and grabbed his unconscious friend, holding his head up, halfway between terrified and careful.

"Ten more minutes, dad." The blond mumbled. "It's Summer, I'm allowed to sleep in."

He blinked, stunned, then let out a relieved laugh. "You little jerk. Can't even take a nap like a normal kid, you have to go and give me a panic attack instead."

Roxas, eyes still closed, stuck his tongue out.

Lea smirked, then turned to Terra, his expression once again somber. "You better not break that promise, you hear? If you come back without them–"

"I won't." Terra said.

Lea nodded. "Get on with it, then."

Terra patted Ventus on the shoulder, then began walking. When the two were out of earshot, Ventus asked: "Do you know how we're going to get to them?"

"No," Terra replied, "but I know who we're going to ask."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all once again for your patience! Nothing really new to note: still crazy busy, still going to try to crank at least one chapter out each month, still have so much love and appreciation for anyone who continues to read each new chapter. See ya'll in 30~ days! ;p


	6. Melody That Heralds Dawn Episode 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A boy awakens into a happy dream. His monster descends from on high. Riku and Kairi track mud and guilt through the front door.

The dream sun dappled through hundreds of leaves, casting a beautiful pattern across the forest floor. The distant star lacked any heat here, but Riku was still thankful for the canopy between him and its oppressive luster. The ground was soft here, each step sinking in, mud clinging to his boots. The Spirit-Namine was – apparently – weightless, as she pranced across the dirt with no effort, the bottoms of her paws completely free of residue. 

She stopped monetarily, ears perked, quiet chiming of the bell around her neck blending into the soft breeze. "We should be safe here, for now."

"How do you figure?" grumbled Riku, adjusting the unconscious body draped over his shoulder.

"This is a happy dream," answered Kairi. She was helping carry the boy, but her gaze was wandering, across trees and off into the sunlit distance. "It feels safe."

Riku shook a particularly stubborn clod of mud off his boot. "Can't imagine having a happy place this humid."

Kairi reached over to swat Riku on the back of his head. "Help me lay this guy against the log there?"

"You got it," he said. The two keyblade wielders trudged forward, lifting the slumped boy off their shoulders. The Spirit-Namine even hopped up on the log, pushing her head against the boy's chest to prevent him from dropping completely.

"Ready?" asked the Spirit-Namine, voiced strained from the effort.

"Drop him," said Kairi. One foot against the log, both hands around the boy's chest, she lowered him down; the Spirit-Namine scrambling out of the way to prevent being squashed. Riku rolled him over, carefully making sure his body wouldn’t fall.

"Success," he said, wiping the sweat off his forehead. One of the boy's arms swung down. Riku caught it before it could hit the mud, and pushed the boy slightly farther onto the log. His arm swung down again. Riku swore under his breath and grumpily folded both limp limbs overtop the boy's chest.

"Riku, no, he's not...he's not dead, that makes this look like a funeral." Kairi wheezed, one hand against a nearby tree.

"Anyone want to say a few words?" he joked, stumbling his way over to a raised grassy patch past the log and practically collapsing.

"Good work?" offered the Spirit-Namine. "You two are...very good at this."

"Dragging unconscious bodies around?" Kairi laughed. "Yeah, we're used to..." she trailed off, the grin fading from her lips.

We're used to pulling Sora's weight. The unspoken quip tore a harsh knot into Riku's chest. The quiet clearing felt, for a moment, far emptier than it was.

Spirit-Namine glanced between the two, tail flicking nervously back and forth. "I'll take a look around? See where the next world is. Um, sorry."

Kairi nodded, putting on a smile Riku knew was forced. "Go ahead, we'll be ready to keep going when you get back."

The feline spirit hopped off the log, galloping across the mud and dirt, between the trees and out of sight.

Kairi pushed off the tree, walking over to Riku's little grass island and plopping down next to him. The two breathed in the silence.

"I hate this," he said, quietly. "Not knowing what to say. Not finding the words"

"You're telling me," she replied. "You've always been the quiet one."

"Yeah. No, I don't know, just...different. Feeling like there's nothing worth saying, or feeling like there's so much to say but I don't know where to start."

"I know." She pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "Do you remember...that one time, before all of this, when all of our parents went to that school conference and you two came over to my place?"

"I remember," said Riku, putting a hand on her shoulder. He could feel her relax a notch at his touch, leaning into him.

"I put on music and started dancing, and you didn't want to, but then Sora hopped up and tried to dance with me so you did too, and then you two ended up dancing together to see who would get to dance with me?" she said, a soft smile in her voice.

He groaned, smirking despite his embarrassment. "Yeah, yeah."

"I keep thinking about that night, I don't know. Seems stupid but..." Kairi sighed. "I don't know. I sat back and let you two fight over me, like a stupid stuck up princess or something."

"We were kids," Riku said.

"I know, I know, but it's still...I wanted to dance with both of you. I wanted to be close to you and Sora, you were both my best friends, but I...I don't know, I just felt like it was wrong. That I had to pick. That it had to be me and you or me and Sora or I'd lose you both. But I couldn't pick, because I didn't want just one of you, and I didn't want to lose either of you, so I just kept letting you two fight, waiting for one of you to give up or pick for me or–" Kairi coughed, and Riku could hear the knot in her throat, the longing and pain swelling up between her heart and her lips.

He pulled her close, both arms around her, Kairi's head against his chest. "It wasn't your fault, Kairi. I miss Sora too, so badly. We were dumb kids, we made mistakes because we didn't know better. I want to take it all back too, but none of us can go back and change that. But it's not your fault he's gone. It's not your fault."

He could feel her shaking. Silent. Waves of grief flowing across them both. Riku closed his eyes and just felt her there, let the world fade away. She grabbed his hand and squeezed it, so tight it hurt. He let her, just sitting there, a rock in the storm until her breath evened out again.

"I'm sorry." she breathed. "I should be stronger, I'm sorry."

He shook his head. "It's not weak to need help. You're so much stronger than me, Kairi. I really look up to you."

Kairi pulled back a bit, glaring through bloodshot eyes. "Don't lie just to make me feel better."

"Honest, I do. Feel my heart or whatever it is that you princesses do." He held his arms out to his sides.

She reached out and socked him hard in the chest. Riku yelped and clutched his bruised abdomen. Kairi chuckled. "...okay, I believe you."

"Yay," he wheezed.

The two of them laughed, and Kairi hugged him, and Riku hugged back.

"Um," came a young voice from across the clearing, "I'm sorry to interrupt...but where exactly am I?"

The two keyblade wielders turned in unison to stare at the now conscious boy sitting up on the log, his hands in his lap, staring at them with curious seafoam eyes.

Kairi pulled away from Riku, brushing herself off, cheeks dusted crimson. "You're...uh, dreaming? Sort of. It's a long story. I...I actually don't really know much myself, neither of us do."

The boy looked between the two very embarrassed friends, confused. "You two are keyblade wielders, right? I don't recognize you. So not from Vulpes, and not from the Dandelions. New recruits? You might be too strong for new recruits. Who trained you? Are you from the old unions?" His ramblings descended quickly into mumbling self curiosities, scratching his chin and staring through Riku and Kairi.

"Oi." Riku snapped his fingers, catching the boy's attention again. "Neither of us have any idea what you're talking about. I'm Riku...uh, Master Riku. This is my friend, Kairi. Not a master yet but damn close to one."

Kairi snorted a bit at this. "Master Riku."

"Oh, another keyblade master!" The boy exclaimed, his eyes wide and excited. He almost fell face-first into the mud in his haste, scrambling off the log and stumbling up to Riku and Kairi's grass island, hand outstretched and head bowed. "It's very nice to meet you, Master Riku!"

Riku, his mouth set in a firm line, reached out and shook the boy's hand. "Likewise."

The boy grinned up at Riku, standing all the way up again and scratching the end of his nose. "My name is Master Ephemer, leader of the Vulpes Union." A sharp, quiet roar echoed through the clearing as a keyblade formed in Ephemer's grasp. It was fairly simple, reminding Riku a bit of Mickey's golden Kingdom Key – though instead of a key's teeth, it had a sharp golden star, edged with pearl spikes and a smaller purple star at its center. At its tip, a pearlescent moon. Ephemer held its purple hilt in both hands and hopped backwards, guard at the ready. "Master Riku, I would be honored to spar with you."

Riku blinked. He glanced at Kairi, who looked just as confused as he did. "...why?"

Ephemer dropped his guard, scratching his head, clearly struggling to articulate something he felt was obvious. "You have a lot of grief and pain in your heart Master Riku. Doesn't mean you're a bad guy, but I can tell you've stepped into the darkness before. You say you're a Keyblade Master, but I've never met or heard of you. I need to get to know your strength before I can judge what kind of person you are!"

He rose, stretching his sore muscles, glaring at Ephemer. "You've got a lot of guts, kid. I'm not fighting you here though."

The self-appointed Master glanced across the mud-swamped clearing. "Oh, right, yes. Don't want to ruin someone's happy dream." His keyblade shone like a falling star, then blurred out of focus and vanished. "Lead the way, Master Riku."

*************

The Spirit-Namine kept glancing over her shoulder at Ephemer as the group walked out of the forest into a meadow of ankle-deep grass, the breeze sending little ripples through her fur.

"Recognize him?" Kairi asked, matching her pace with her feline friend. Riku was farther out in front, and she could feel his ego bristling, though he was clearly doing his best to stay calm.

"No," she said. "He seems...very young for a Keyblade Master."

"I don't think he actually is one," Kairi said, "unless there's some secret school of keyblade wielders out there Yen Sid doesn't know about. Or else why would he send us into battle against Xehanort's thirteen with only us seven."

Spirit-Namine's tail flicked back and forth in thought. "And why are he and Riku fighting, exactly?"

Kairi sighed. "Something something insulted pride. Boys."

"Ah," she said.

"Will this do?" Ephemer called from a few feet behind them.

Riku turned around, slowing his pace to a halt. "Yeah, sure."

Kairi quickly scooped the Spirit-Namine up – with another little murp of disapproval – and hurried to one side, careful to be far enough outside the range of whatever the Keyblade Masters were planning on throwing at each other. The Spirit-Namine wasted no time hopping out of her arms as soon as she stopped moving.

Riku summoned Braveheart, raising the blade over his head, one hand forward, eyes locked on his opponent. As always, Kairi could feel the unwavering pulse of his heart even from this distance, beating staccato with that furious intensity somewhere between panic and focus. It might have terrified her, if she didn't know him so well. Instead, she turned her gaze to Ephemer.

She hadn't even noticed him summon his purple and golden keyblade, but there it was, held in a noncommittal grip. He tossed it from hand to hand, swinging it as if testing its weight. His expression was neutral, emotionless, but Kairi could sense the energy behind his features, the overflowing excitement and curiosity. Ephemer would have to take the first move, she knew Riku wouldn't rush down an unfamiliar foe, it wasn't his style.

The young Master's patterned movements became stilted, his keyblade seeming to stall in midair. He stretched his arms out to either side before bringing both hands together around its hilt, tracking twin trails of starlight through the air. He raised the blade up and the blade erupted into flame. At its tip, a circle formed through the haze, shining with some uncanny radiance.

"Beast of the heavens, answer my call!" Ephemer shouted. The wind picked up, slamming into Kairi's back, nearly knocking her off her feet with a roar that sounded almost to respond to the boy's beckoning. "Embody fury and rain down destruction, flameborn guardian: **Wargoyle**!" The orb of flame at the tip of his keyblade shattered.

A shadow swept across the meadow. Kairi looked upwards so fast she nearly got whiplash. At first, she could have mistaken it for a bird, or some sort of glittering trick of the light, but as the thing descended towards them, there was no mistaking it. Destiny's Embrace leapt to her grasp.

" **Reflega**!" she tried to shout, but the wind ripped the words from her mouth. Thankfully, the shimmering barrier still flared to life around her and the Spirit-Namine, drowning them in a sudden respite from the tempest and heat. It was so quiet that Kairi momentarily feared she might have gone deaf.

"By the Light," said Namine in a breathless gasp.

The creature descended onto the meadow like a shooting star, on track to slam directly into Ephemer before it extended two wings that caught the light like a stained glass kaleidoscope. It landed in the grass next to the boy with a surprising amount of grace considering it was easily ten feet tall.

The Wargoyle was a hulking beast with a face like a bat, with enormous arms ending in chain-wrapped gauntlets that had four spikes rather than fingers. Its tail was long and thin and ended in a paddle blade with a large hole that whistled faintly as it moved through the air. A spiked collar sat around its neck, and plain as day on its abdomen was the pale pink heart of a Dream Eater Spirit.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Kairi grumbled under her breath. Her barrier faded, and the warm gale once against smacked her in the face. "Riku! Are you sure you wanna take this punk on your own?!"

"Yeah, I think so!" he called back. "I've beaten one of these things before!"

"Okay!" she yelled. "You better win then or I'll kick your ass!" Kairi didn't even bother calling the next barrier by name. The air around her shimmered with magic, but the spell didn't hold for long, exhausting catching up with her mana reserves. She grimaced, considering taking Namine and moving farther away from whatever chaos was about to ensue, but the thought of being unable to rush to Riku's aid should he need it...

Something soft rubbed against her ankle and the chime of a distant bell echoed through her chest. It was warm. Not the heat of the Dream Eater beast, but comforting, like a fireplace. The sound of the screaming wind died down to a dull warble. The barrier pulsed back into being. Kairi glanced down at the Spirit-Namine, whose whole body glowed faintly blue.

"Thank you," she said.

Namine nodded. Both turned their attention back to the Keyblade Masters and Kairi met Ephemer's patient gaze. She realized he had waited for her. Something flared in her chest, surprise but not quite anger. Respect? Kairi nodded to the boy and he nodded back.

"Master Riku!" he called, his voice sounding somewhat warbled through the barrier. "Whenever you're ready!"

Riku's response was to flicker in place, then vanish completely. Ephemer blinked, staring at the spot where the older boy had stood. An echo of what sounded like thunder.

The Wargoyle grabbed its master and dove forward, wings spread out, gliding out of the way of a cascade of lightning, each burst frying a black circle into the meadow. It dropped Ephemer and whirled around to face its foe. Riku shimmered back into sight in a dead sprint towards both Spirit and human. Ephemer dove out of the way as the Wargoyle raised its gauntlets, spikes on the end beginning to spin. It landed, grounding itself to better aim the gatling bolts of flame that erupted out of its hands.

Riku weaved around the projectiles, dodging back and forth and closing the distance at a surprising speed. Rather than face the Wargoyle head on, he sprinted directly towards Ephemer, who stumbled backwards, raising his blade. The beast also dropped its attack to shift in front of its master, standing between him and the charging warrior.

Kairi grinned. Clever boy.

Braveheart caught the sun as Riku raised it. He ducked his head and slid underneath the Wargoyle's raised gauntlet, slashing across its chest as he passed. The creature roared and staggered forwards. Riku wasted no time whirling back around to face Ephemer, forcing the boy to guard against his assault. Ephemer backpedalled, frantically deflecting each blow with his keyblade – still wrapped in writhing flame.

She couldn't hear their words from where she stood, but Kairi could see their mouths moving, some sort of battlefield argument. Why wasn't Ephemer fighting back? It wasn't just fear that kept his blade, surely. He seemed genuinely resigned to his guard.

The Wargoyle rose again, turning to aim its gauntlets at Riku and Ephemer. Then it hesitated. Its previous attack had been powerful, but not particularly accurate. If it fired, it would probably hit its master as well. Unless Ephemer fought back, Riku would win easily.

With a shout Kairi barely heard, Ephemer finally returned a blow, a wide swing with his flaming keyblade. Riku transitioned from a swing into a guard with a speed Kairi was very envious of, taking the attack head-on without flinching. The boy attacked again, shoving attacks against his foe's overwhelming defense. Despite their role reversal, Ephemer continued to retreat, and Riku matched his pace step for step.

"The ocean incants a distant melody," Ephemer's voice reached Kairi clearly, as if he were standing right next to her. The Wargoyle wobbled, off-balance, its form seeming to flicker and warp. "Celestial gladiator, dance to my song. King of the World Ocean – gwah!" His incantation cut off abruptly when Riku smacked him upside the head with Braveheart. The boy stood upright for another moment, before falling to his knees and then face-planting directly into the meadow grass. His Wargoyle let out a pathetic mewl, sounding almost disappointed as it faded completely from view.

The wind no longer clashed against Kairi's barrier. It was quiet. She dropped the spell, heart still pounding from the conflict, walking over to join her best friend.

The Spirit-Namine galloped along next to her, glowing not with magic but excitement. "Riku, that was incredible!"

Riku poked Ephemer's face down body with the tip of his keyblade. "Yeah, I'm awesome," he replied, completely deadpan.

All three of them flinched as Ephemer let out a loud belt of laughter, rolling over onto his back, arms outstretched and a big dumb grin on his face. "No one's ever fought me like that before. You really are a true Master." He held out his hand to Riku.

"Kay." His voice was still even, but Kairi could see the hint of a smile grace his lips. He crouched down, grabbing Ephemer's hand and pulling him up. "Next time, don't try casting a spell that takes that long when you're fighting someone five feet away from you."

The boy master shook himself off like a wet dog, brushing the grass from his pants and adjusting his scarf – Kairi was honestly surprised it hadn't blown away in the fight. "Yes, you're right, you're right. I'll be honest, I really handicapped myself for this fight. Wasn't the best decision." He laughed and Riku visibly prickled up.

"Yeah, underestimating Riku is always a pretty bad plan" Kairi said.

"Oh, it wasn't that I underestimated him! Closer to overestimated." Ephemer stuttered out a correction as Riku glared at him. "No, no, no, I mean...blegh, I'm sorry, sometimes my brain can move faster than my tongue."

Kairi laughed and put a hand on his shoulder. "Take a breath, kiddo."

He did. "I knew you were strong, so I wanted to come at you with my strongest summon. 'Cept using Wargoyle makes it impossible for me to do any other magic or summon anything else till I dismiss him, so–"

"So you were pretty screwed if I did anything other than ignore you and fight your big friend." Riku finished.

"Yeah, pretty much."

He nodded. "Well, I'm not Yen Sid, so I can't judge whether you're 'fit' to be a Master or not, but you're certainly strong enough to be one." He rubbed his shoulder, rolling it in his socket and wincing. "Who trained you, anyway?"

"Master Ava!" he proudly proclaimed, pointing one hand at his chest with another big goofy smile.

There was a moment of silence as the three friends processed the name.

"Yeah, no idea who that is," Riku said.

"Ditto," Kairi said.

"Oh," Epehemer said and let his arm drop. "Well, uh, I don't know who Yen Sid is either."

"What world do you come from?" Namine asked.

"Daybreak Town," he said. "It's where I got knocked out by that Nightmare."

"It wasn't quite your world," Riku corrected, "we're in a dream realm right now."

"Ah, right, yes."

Kairi flicked the nails of her thumb and forefinger together in thought. "You're from a world none of us have ever heard of, we've never heard of you or your Master, and you lead a...guild?"

"Union."

"Union, yeah. Also haven't heard of that before. And you don't know anything about us, or Master Yen Sid?"

"Mhm." Epehemer replied.

"Master Sora?" Riku tried. Kairi bit the inside of her mouth.

"Nope."

"Masters Aqua or Terra. Organization XIII. Master Xehanort. Master Eraqus. Any of that ring a bell?" he continued.

Ephemer shook his head.

"Might as well ask him about Roxas while we're at it," Kairi grumbled. "Or Ventus."

"Oh, Ventus! Yeah, I know Ventus."

Silence. Another trio of stares.

"How?!" Riku spluttered.

"He's the leader of the Unicornis Union." Ephemer said plainly.

Kairi snorted at the name. "Ventus is a unicorn?"

"I guess."

Riku rubbed his temples. "Well, at least now we have some common ground. We'll just ask Ventus when we see him."

"Oh!" Spirit-Namine said. All eyes turned to her. "Ventus is right here with me! I'll just go get him." The Spirit's yellow eyes faded into a dull lemon shade. It plopped down on its haunches and licked at the back of its paw.

Ephemer glanced around the meadow. "I don't see him."

"Namine's somewhere else, she's just using this Spirit's body to talk to us." Kairi explained.

He blinked. "I didn't know that was something people could do."

"Neither did we." Riku said, tapping his foot and staring at the dream cat. It stared back at him and meowed softly.

The three of them waited in silence until the quiet got too much for Kairi to bear. "Should we sit down or–"

"We need to move!" The Spirit shrieked in Namine's voice, all three keyblade wielders jumping.

"What? Why?!" Kairi snapped back.

"Night Terrors. Attacked Aqua and Mickey. Ventus went to fight them."

Her blood felt chill in her veins. "Take us there, right now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technically got this chapter in before August!!! Two weeks late, yeah, but still! I hope to join you all again in less time than this has taken to actually get out the door, but I can't say for certain. Either way, I hope you've enjoyed and thank you for your continued patience.
> 
> Special thanks to archiveofourown.org/users/Writing_Doodle/ aka Xiolette who helped beta read and critique this chapter, go check out her awesome KH content!


	7. Melody That Heralds Dawn Episode 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aqua is visited by her fears, her friends, and the forgotten.

The moonlight shining through the stained glass windows here was hollow, haunting, sending a constant feeling of unease like a spike through her chest. The throne-room of the Land of Departure was a mess of swirling shadows, lit only by the moon through the windows and a series of torches along the wall, flickering with blue flame. The floor was cold, and yet, somewhat comforting. Frighteningly welcoming, as if extending her an eternal invitation. Stay. Stay in stillness forever. Never wake.

" **Curaga**!" Mickey's voice cut through the haze.

Her vision tinged green as strength seeped back into her limbs. Aqua could hear her heart again now, screaming at her, a deafening command to fight. The ringing in her ears faded, just enough to catch the whistle of a keyblade swinging through the air. She shoved against the ground as hard as she could with her left hand, rolling across the floor and out of the way of the pitch sword aimed directly at her back.

Aqua stumbled onto her feet, eyes locked on the Nightmare. Its washed-out silver hair swam in the air, caught in a nonexistent breeze. Two red eyes caught hers. It rose, a mockery with a single arm clad in twisted bronze, pulling Xehanort's keyblade from the ground with no effort. It was the third time she had been face-to-face with the demon wearing her brother's face, but this Terra-Xehanort was at once unfamiliar and threatening. There was no scheming will within those eyes, no chained heart behind the purple insignia on his chest, just the dark.

A shout. The Nightmare leaned backwards, an enormous cerulean claymore whirling through the air its head had previously occupied. It clanged off the barrier wall surrounding the four and clattered to the ground, before shimmering out of existence. A flash of blue as Isa slammed into the Nightmare, claymore back in hand. The faux Xehanort's shadow stretched across the ground, an engorged fist swinging out of the floor towards Isa. He shoved the Nightmare away, putting his claymore between himself and the blow. The attack was blunted, but still sent the young man flying back into the barrier. Even in the dim, Aqua could see him struggling back to his feet.

She hadn't called Stormfall, but it answered her nonetheless. Aqua raised her keyblade with both hands, letting the magic roar in her ears like a thundering tide. " **Thundaza**!"

Even before the grand magic hit, the Nightmare's gaze whipped around towards Aqua. The ground glowed and sparked beneath its feet, the arena filling with the smell of burnt ozone. It started to move, taking no more than a single step before heavenly fury enveloped it. Aqua shut her eyes, waiting for the glow to fade from past her eyelids, then opened them again. The Nightmare still struggled forward towards her, one anguished step after another, though its whole body spasmed with the aftereffects of her spell.

She could see Isa out of the corner of her eye, posture low, rushing back into the fight. Aqua opened her mouth to warn him, but no words left her lips, the air in her lungs refusing to obey her.

Mickey, thankfully, spoke up. "Isa, keep your distance!" She could see him faintly in a shadowed corner, the tip of his keyblade engulfed with a sphere of brilliance that lit him far better than any of the torches. "If you hit it, you'll get zapped too!" The small king swung the Kingdom Key like a bat, sending the lustrous pearl directly into the Nightmare's head. It spun backwards, facing Mickey, another huge fist erupting out of the shadows to swing at nothing.

"Got it!" The blue-haired man slid to a stop, bringing the claymore up over his head and slamming it against the ground. A burst of flame shot across the floor, catching the Nightmare in a pillar of blue fire. It wailed and pivoted around toward Isa. No sooner had it done so, then another pearl of light burst against the back of its head. It whirled once again, swinging at thin air, eyes locked on Mickey.

Aqua smiled. She wasn't the biggest fan of these sorts of indirect tactics, but against this abominable of a foe? It didn't bother her so much. She swept Stormfall across the ground, calling another spell with a wordless voice, sending a shard of ice across the floor towards the Nightmare. Its gaze swung towards her, though it was still too dazed from her previous attack to avoid the burst of cold that caught its foot. Ice instantly spread across its legs and part of its chest, stalling its movements, freezing the Nightmare in place for a few seconds – just long enough for Mickey and Isa to shower it with light and fire.

It took a moment for the scream to register in Aqua's brain, but as soon as it did she clapped her hands over her ears. The sound was difficult to articulate, something between a howling beast and the screech of metal dragged against metal. In that moment, she feared the world was dying. But the sounded faded off into nothing as the Nightmare Terra-Xehanort crumpled to its knees and began to fade, shadows peeling off it like paper in an inferno. It stiffened, then fell to pieces, and even those pieces melted into nothing.

Aqua let out a long breath, unsteady, the ground feeling like it was spinning under her feet. Her left leg gave way and she dropped onto one knee, quite painfully. She forced herself to breathe, deep and calming, pulling herself back together.

"Are you alright?" asked Isa, who was now somewhere close off to her right. Her vision was still focused on the floor, blurred eyes tracing the twisting shadows.

"Just tired," she replied, her own voice sounded ghastly in her ears, like some sort of death croak. Aqua cleared her dry throat. "Do you have any water?"

A small hand from out of the edge of her vision, pressing a flask into her palm. She grasped it and raised it to her lips. Nearly empty, but one sip was enough for now.

"Thank you." Aqua coughed, handing the flask back to Mickey. "How many was that now, four?"

"Yeah." Isa said. "It's nice that they're polite enough to take turns trying to kill us."

"You should rest, Aqua. You've been pushing yourself too hard." Mickey said. "You took a pretty hard bump against that last Nightmare. Isa and I can fight this one on our own."

She shook her head, using Stormfall to prop herself up and force herself back onto both feet. "Not a chance. I'm not going to let either of you get hurt."

Isa grumbled something under his breath, but didn't press the issue.

Aqua glanced towards the entrance to the throne room. Past the shimmering barrier, the light failed completely. Even though that end of the room was flanked with torches as well, their illumination did not reach. All she could see was the flicker of red and purple from any number of Nightmares, watching, waiting. She couldn't tell if the sight made her more afraid or disgusted. Her gaze swept to the other end of the room, towards the throne that had once been occupied by her master, then – for decades – by her slumbering brother. There, wrapped in dusk, was...something. It looked like armor, moonlight glinting off the metal gauntlets, but it wasn't quite empty. She could feel a steady pulse, something alive, a will neither of light nor of dark. She squinted, trying to discern any amount of detail, but the moonlight shining from behind the throne made it difficult. She could see that at the very edge of the barrier, plunged into the ground, was a keyblade. It shimmered, its edges softened by the flow of magic, a flow that pulsed out across the surface of the barrier. Whatever the thing in the armor was, it had both trapped Aqua and her friends here and protected them from the oncoming dark tide.

"What do you think our chances are of surviving this?" Isa asked.

"One-hundred-percent." Aqua replied, without hesitation. It wasn't a promise she felt absolutely confident in, but considering the circumstances, there was no point in anxiety.

"How do you figure?" he said. It wasn't an accusation, just a question. Maybe he wanted assurance, maybe hope, maybe something else entirely. It wouldn't change Aqua's answer.

"Because your friends know we're here, and they're either going to come right back or send help. Guardians of Light don't leave friends behind. And I know we're strong enough to last until help does come."

Isa nodded, spinning his claymore in one hand. "Good enough for me."

A dark form slammed against the barrier. Tens of black claws scratched at the surface, pulling and scraping, peeling it apart and letting the next Nightmare slip inside. The barrier closed behind it. This time, Nightmare's shape wasn't quite familiar to Aqua, but she could feel Isa stiffen next to her. It walked towards them, its black cloak billowing around it, the outfit of the Organization. She thought it might have had its hood up at first, but as the Nightmare stepped further into the light, she could see its long, dark-pink hair. Like the other Nightmares, it had no mouth, but this one smiled with its eyes, two crimson pearls twisted into a sickening grin. One black hand warped and extended, twisting into a long handle and blade – a scythe. Ah, now Aqua recognized him. One of the so-called "Real Organization," Xehanort's most recent puppets.

"Isa, you seem familiar with this one. Any advice?" Aqua asked.

"Don't get hit," he replied bluntly. "And watch out for the rose petals."

A little nondescript, but she could work with that. "In that case, we should probably try to divide his attention. Hit and run magic from range?"

Mickey shook his head, tossing an empty Ether back into his bag. "Marluxia has magic too. And he works best one-on-one. Sora and I fought him in the Keyblade Graveyard, and we beat him by working together."

The boy's name sent an ache through Aqua's heart. She kept the grief, the guilt, out of her voice when she replied. "All in unison then. Keep in his face, don't let him use any of his tricks. I'll draw his attention, Mickey keep him on his toes and Isa, punish any openings."

No objections. No change from the Nightmare Marluxia, who kept on walking towards them with the same slow, patient pace. It wasn't in any rush, apparently. If Aqua had felt any less threatened, she might have been happy to indulge a snail's chase around the barrier, but there wasn't a chance in hell she'd let the thing have the opportunity to make the first move.

Aqua tensed, making sure her allies saw her, and then sprinted towards her foe. Without even breaking stride, it raised its scythe and swiped horizontally, far before Aqua had entered its range. She didn't even think to dodge when its handle suddenly and unnaturally extended, blade catching her across the neck. There was a flash of pain, a sudden sicking feeling in her stomach, and then...her hand shot to her neck, feeling for the injury. There was cut, no lasting soreness. It was as if it had missed her completely. The Nightmare pulled back and swung again, but Aqua ducked out of the way, the extended scythe whistling over her head. The next strike was vertical, and she dodged that as well, leaping to the left and pivoting her momentum into a cartwheel, up and over and back to her feet.

"Check your hand!" Isa yelled, throwing his claymore towards the Nightmare, who momentarily flickered out of view and appeared again a few feet to the right, out of the path of Isa's attack.

Aqua, all at once, felt a sort of itch on the back of her left hand. It had been there before, but she only now was aware of it. She glanced down and was surprised to see, superimposed on her skin, a white-outlined-black number: **04**

Then she blinked as a pleasant breeze pierced the stagnant air. It was floral, and sort of calming. Smelled of rose, she thought. Instantly, Aqua dove forward into a roll, feeling the shockwave of a small explosion wash over her back. She stumbled back to standing, finding herself face to face with a smirking Nightmare, scythe raised over one shoulder. Her instincts screamed to retreat, but Aqua leapt forward, head low and keyblade out, slashing across its chest while ducking under its blow. Then, keeping far closer to the thing than she wanted to, she kicked the back of its leg as hard as she could. It was surprisingly hard, sending a jolt of pain through her leg, but the Nightmare crumped nonetheless. Aqua brought Stormfall up, and slashed the dark Marluxia across the back. Then, she pushed magic out from her core, down her arms and into the blade.

" **Stop**." Reality slowed to a crawl. Mickey, out of the corner of her eye, moved as if running through a heavy syrup, each of his rapid footfalls now seconds apart. Isa's claymore had manifested back in his hand, and he was in the process of preparing to throw it again towards their foe. Aqua's movements were unbidden though, and she shifted around the Nightmare with a rehearsed grace, striking and stepping and spiraling and slashing over and over. 

Her master had taught her this Kata before, long long ago. She could still remember the pride in his stoic gaze, watching her slicing through time as she danced, using her magic to enhance her swordcraft. Terra was there too. She remembered he was impressed, even though he didn't understand exactly what Aqua had done. That was before Ventus had joined them, back when things were easy. Back when she still thought Master Eraqus could be anything close to perfect.

Aqua finished her Kata, feeling the strain of the magic start to tug on her. She stepped forward, her back to the Nightmare. "Time begins to move again." The Marluxia lookalike let out a haunting screech when Aqua's blows caught up with it, before being silenced by the impact of Isa's claymore into the side of its head. Out of the corner of her eye, Aqua watched a fragment of dark sink into the floor and disappear. Her hand no longer felt warm, and a quick glance was enough to confirm the number had vanished as well.

"I don't mean to be rude," Isa called from a few feet away, "but don't you think you could have used that sooner?"

"Time magic takes a lot out of the user," Mickey cut in before Aqua could answer. He dug around in his pack and then tossed an Ether her way. "Beyond just taking a lot of MP, it puts a big strain on you. Not a lot of people can use a spell like that multiple times in a row."

"And by not a lot of people," Aqua finished, cringing a bit at the Ether's overwhelming flavor and stuffing the plastic shell in her back pocket, "he means we've only seen that time-displaced younger Xehanort do it."

"Understood. Thank you." Isa replied. He turned his attention back to the barrier, probably bracing himself for the next Nightmare to come storming in.

She stretched out her sore limbs. "In case I have to fight another Marluxia in the future; was the number on my hand some sort of countdown?"

"In a manner of speaking. Marluxia's scythe can't actually hurt you, but it's cursed with a Doom spell. Anytime you get hit, it'll get closer to activating that spell. That number is his way of letting you know how many more times he has to strike before you..." He trailed off, looking away with a tense expression.

"Ah." Aqua didn't need him to finish the thought. Isa had no doubt seen the result many times, back when he was in the Organization. The fact it made him nervous was evidence enough that she didn't much want that happening to her.

The scratching sound of bestial nails against the magic surface echoed through the arena once again. Aqua faced her foes, gripping Stormfall, eyes locked on a tiny crack that blossomed and spread into a full opening. The scratching stopped. She squinted, eyes strained on the makeshift entrance, waiting for another monster to walk through. But none did. The red eyes that had been watching them were gone, yet she could still sense the creatures out there, in the dark.

"What's–" Isa began.

A shout, somewhere off in the shadows. The distant ringing of bells floated through the gap in the barrier. Aqua swore she could see a glow, something faint and purple, flickering in the dim. Then, the sun rose over the banister.

Countless Nightmares shrieked, raising cacophony as they scattered, fleeing from the figure that was rising through the air, holding aloft a keyblade wrapped in utter brilliance. Aqua shielded her eyes from the flare, trying to make out the form.

"Who needs stairs!?" they shouted, a familiar voice ringing triumphant through the hall.

Aqua could see now they weren't floating, but standing on the shoulders of something else, a massive creature now climbing up and over the railing into the throne room. The light from the figure's keyblade softened into a torchlike glow, though she still couldn't make out details, eyes taking a moment to adjust. When they did, she could only choke out a single word: "Kairi!?"

Her part-time student, with a grin as bright as her keyblade, was balanced on the shoulders of a monstrous gargoyle. Aqua noticed the creature also held Riku, looking quite annoyed to be tucked under one of its arms. Another young man she didn't recognize – with short silver hair and a bright red scarf – was clutched onto the same arm for dear life.

"Hi Aqua, hi Isa, hi Mickey!" Kairi shouted from atop the gargoyle, waving with her free hand. She turned to the side, seemingly addressing the gargoyle. "See, I told you they'd be alright."

A small purple cat popped its head out from behind one of the gargoyle's bat-like ears. "Pleasegetmedown." It said in one prolonged yowl. "OrIwillbesick."

Kairi leaned down and scratched the gargoyle behind its ears, the large beast tilting its head and grumbling happily. "Thank you for the ride, Wargoyle. You can let us all down now."

The creature carefully lowered Riku and the other boy, letting them go and then practically flattening itself so Kairi and the cat could hop off its back. Then, it let out a little huff of air and faded into a glimmering cloud of tiny stars that soon blinked out of sight themselves.

"Kairi," Aqua said, with as much composure as she could manage considering the absurdity of the situation, "what exactly was that?"

Instead of her student, the young man threw up a hand. "That was one of my friends! Sorry if he spooked you, Wargoyle can be a little scary looking but I promise he's a big softie."

"I've never seen anyone control that big a Dream Eater before," said Mickey, his voice low in awe. Aqua had honestly nearly forgotten about the tiny king.

"Oh," said the young man, "well I wouldn't say control. He's a friend, so he helps me out sometimes."

"Yeah, Ephemer here apparently has quite a few friends," added Riku, brushing himself off, still radiating irritation. "Spirits and Keyblade wielders. A lot of keyblade wielders." He glared in Mickey's general direction, not quite at the king but through him in some capacity. There was something unspoken there, and Aqua could feel the statement knock an uncomfortable peg into Kairi as well. The young man – Ephemer – was utterly oblivious. Isa looked equally clueless.

"Do you think you could help us out of this barrier?" Aqua asked, eager to break the silence.

Kairi nodded, though she gave Aqua an odd look. "I thought you might put this up to keep the Nightmares out. Can't you just make it go away?"

Aqua shook her head. "It's not my magic. There's a keyblade–" As she spoke, a flicker of magic shot across the surface of the barrier. She flinched, spinning around to face the throne, her blood chilling in her veins. The figure was standing now, descending from the throne, pulling the keyblade slowly from the ground with a single gauntlet. Now, with the shadows gone, she could see it far more clearly. It was Terra's armor, the same empty suit she had seen in the Keyblade Graveyard, hollow but for some lingering will puppeteering it.

The barrier faded completely. Her brother's armor straightened upright, Ends of the Earth in its hand, neither threat nor safety. An empty, uncanny gaze. Then it moved.

Aqua didn't see it take more than a single step, but now it stood in front of her, a towering presence inches from her face. She couldn't move. Her legs and arms were sore, but she should have been able move them, except she couldn't. She stared straight ahead, limbs locked in place. Something distant roared, far off in the corners of her heart.

"Get away from her!" Kairi yelled. Destiny's Embrace clanked uselessly against bronze metal, like a pebble against a castle, and Aqua could hear Kairi stumbling backwards. 

Terra's armor turned to face the young woman, and Aqua heard the roar again. A wave, collecting itself, tensing and filling with fury as it prepared to crash against the shore. She grit her teeth. " **Deep Freeze.** " Magic burst into existence within her, buzzing in her fingertips, ready to be used – but she forced her self to keep it in, prevent her instincts from merely channeling the spell into the keyblade that lay limp in her unmoving hand. Instead, she stared straight ahead at the armor, and pushed.

The first thing Aqua noticed was her ears popping. Next was a sudden feeling of warmth, tingling, somewhat numb against her skin. Then a hand on the back of her shirt, pulling her back. She stumbled and fell onto her hands and knees, able to see but unable to process, colors and shapes blurring together, the floor a mess of red and gold and black. As Aqua's eyes focused, she noticed her arms were covered in some sort of white powder. Like dust, only paler. A sudden pressure around her chest and she was pulled off the ground, two vague forms struggling to hold her limp body up.

There was a flash of lucidity, through the haze and the pain, and Aqua's gaze snapped up to where Terra's armor had stood. For only a moment, she could see it clearly, a hand outstretched, a hollow body frozen completely in a clear block of ice. Then, the edges of her vision blurred, and she lost the strength to hold her head upright.

There were voices, distant, yelling and blending into some odd harmony. There was some sort of glow in front of her, an imperceptible light calling out, beckoning her tired heart. She could not move, but she was moved towards it, slow and stumbling. Aqua could hear the sound of tiny bells, chiming so lovely for her, and then she closed her eyes.

*************

Aqua tried to open her eyes again, but she couldn't. Her limbs ached and her heart burned in her chest. She felt a hand on her forehead, a tender grasp pushing her back down.

"You cannot sleep here yet, my champion," someone said, a voice immediately recognizable yet oddly unfamiliar to her, "though I know you may well yearn to dream. Do not seek the dream. Instead, welcome the embrace of silence. You will once again walk in dreams when your wounds have healed. Until such a time, be still, daughter of the light. Your friends wait for you to join them again. Be still."

And Aqua was still.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aqua's not dead, just so we're clear. I don't want to leave you hanging with that worry for another month.
> 
> I'm glad I was able to get this chapter out the door! My class just started and I've got a lot of homework yet to catch up on, but I really wanted to finish up this chapter first. I hope you all enjoy it!


	8. Intermission

Hi all, Daxie here. I just wanted to give you all a heads up that this fanfic is, sadly, going on a hiatus for the next couple of months.

Over this next month I'll be: starting a new job, pursuing hormones, trying to get SSI, my whole family is moving, and I've still got class to worry about. As well, I'm finding my fixation shifting from Kingdom Hearts to Persona as P5 Royal is right on the horizon and Re:Mind is still a few months away. No doubt when Re:Mind DOES come out and I get a chance to play it, my focus will hop right back over to KH again.

I am still committed to continuing Dissidia KH! I'm very excited to show you all what I have planned for this story, and I hope you'll all be there to see it once I'm ready to continue. If any of you have any questions or curiosities about this story or anything at all, feel free to send them to [my tumblr.](abaddon-plasma.tumblr.com) I love answering questions so don't worry about bothering me. C:

Stay cool, all.


End file.
